Road Trip
by pinkjeep
Summary: This story sort of arose from watching Gumball 3000 and Initial D back to back.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, the lyrics of any songs, or the thesaurus I used to write this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Takahashi Ryosuke took a deep breath and stepped outside. Behind him in the Charlotte Street Hotel, the medical convention he was attending was drawing to a close. Only two more days left. He felt only relief, because he was once again thinking about his career choice. Did he really want to be a doctor? He wasn't sure. Since he had his degree, technically he was one already, but he felt restless. Project D had ended years ago. Keisuke had made a big splash in the professional racing world, as had Fujiwara Takumi. Ryosuke didn't regret giving up his chance to become a professional. Driving over and over on the same lap was not exciting. But on the other hand, taking over the family clinic wasn't either.

Ryosuke wandered among the cars in the parking garage as he thought about the future. He couldn't let his parents down. They had wanted one, if not both, of their sons to follow in their footsteps. Even though Ryosuke and Keisuke could own the hospital without being active in any duties, at this point, Ryosuke knew his parents would be deeply upset if he dropped it all.

A black FC caught his eye. He looked over the familiar body and suddenly missed his old car. He had been in the UK for eleven days now, and he itched to get behind the wheel. Driving up and down Akagi was his stress release back in Japan. Nowadays, he usually had to go in the middle of the night, at three or four o'clock. He did not want to meet anyone and have to deal with their questions.

To his amazement, the driver's door opened and a girl around his age stepped out of the car. The windows were tinted, but he had assumed the car was empty. Ryosuke casually observed the girl from the corner of his eye. She was tall and graceful with wavy chestnut colored hair he caught himself admiring. She walked to the back of her car and started slightly upon seeing Ryosuke, who was standing two feet away from the bumper. She took a step to her right to go around him at the same time that he moved to get out of her way. They ended up facing each other again. She gave a small apologetic smile and stepped back.

"Sorry," Ryosuke told her and shifted away.

"That's okay," she answered, walking around him successfully this time.

An amused smile played on her lips.

He watched her stride away to the elevator. Casting his last wistful glance at the FC, Ryosuke headed out for a calming stroll.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Esme reached the elevator and turned back. The dark, Asian chap was walking away, his hands in his pockets.

_Ding_. She walked backwards into the elevator. Luckily for her, it was empty. She kept her eyes on the retreating stranger. _He's downright gorgeous. _

As she reached her room, her cell rang in her purse. Yukiko! She flipped it open.

"I have just met the epitome of all our girlhood prince fantasies!"

"What?" Her Japanese friend sounded confused. "I was calling to see if you arrived safely. I wasn't expecting you'd find your soul mate."

"His eyes were just… and his hair was… and you should have seen what he was wearing! A perfect gentleman!"

"Actually, he sounds like he's not all there. Full description, please, Esme."

"Oh, Yuki," Esme opened her balcony door, stepping out with a wild hope of spotting him on the streets below. No such luck. "He has longish hair that almost falls into his eyes. He's a few inches taller than I am. Slim. I would tell you if he had defined muscles, but his button-down shirt covered him up. Too bad." Esme laughed.

"You always were a sucker for guys in formal dress," Yukiko told her.

"That's right. Well, listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you later." Esme shut her phone closed, took one last look at the streets below and went into her room to unpack.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Even though his face was expressionless, Ryosuke was impatient. He wanted to tap his pen against the desk, but instead kept still and listened to the speaker. He peeked surreptitiously at his watch. Less than two hours to go for today. Then dinner and another dull evening in his room.

After the doctors were dismissed, Ryosuke stood up and made his way out the door, dodging the young woman who had been trying to trap him into a conversation all week. Up in his room he changed out of his suit. Lounging on the couch, he called Keisuke.

"Hey, aniki! How's it going in London?" his brother asked him without preamble.

"It's going well," he half-lied. "How is practice?"

"Great. I'm all ready for our next race."

"That's not for a couple weeks, isn't it?" Ryosuke inquired.

"Yeah. But I'm just so pumped!"

He smiled. Talking to Keisuke always cheered him up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Esme walked up to the maitre d'of the hotel restaurant. He looked up at her with an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry to say that we do not have any open tables, miss," he told her.

"Oh." She didn't know what to say, because she had counted on dining in. "When will one become available?"

He flipped through his book. "Perhaps at eight o'clock."

_That's two hours away! I can't wait that long. _"I think that I shall go somewhere else. Thank you for looking just the same." She turned away.

The guy she had seen in the parking garage had been standing a few feet behind her. He was watching her with a blank face.

"Would you like to join me at my table?" he invited her.

"I wouldn't want to trouble you-" she began.

"It wouldn't be a bother. I don't have a companion and would enjoy dining with you."

It didn't take Esme long to make up her mind. She _was_ hungry. And he was cute. "In that case, thank you."

He led the way to a small corner table. When he pulled out her chair for her, she felt herself blush. She couldn't remember anyone ever doing that before.

He sat down opposite her. "I'm Takahashi Ryosuke," he told her.

She recognized his name as Japanese, having spent summers with Yukiko in Japan and knowing the language well. "Esme Jace," she responded.

The waiter arrived to take their order. After he left they were both searching for a topic to talk about.

"So, what are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I am attending a medical convention in the hotel."

"So you are a doctor?" Esme took a sip of her lemon water.

"Yes, a heart surgeon."

"Really? You look so young."

A tiny smile lifted up one corner of his mouth. "I am. I graduated two months ago. How about you? What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an accountant."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it doesn't sound as fun as a heart surgeon, but-" She glanced at him. "I don't mean fun as in…just…"

"I know what you mean."

"But I am going to do something fun next week! I'm going on the Agner Road Rally."

"What's that?" Ryosuke asked.

"It's a long road trip across Europe. About 150 participating cars. We start in England and drive to Moscow, where we then go our separate ways. Most drive back home."

"What are you going to do?" he wanted to know.

"I'm going to fly to Japan. Yukiko -- she's my friend who's going with me -- lives in Tokyo. I'm going to spend the summer with her."

"That does sound like fun."

Esme looked up at him. He had sounded almost wistful, but, as usual, he had no readable expression. She was beginning to see this was typically the case.


	2. Chapter 2

The medical convention was over and done with. Ryosuke was in his room getting a head start on his packing. He was flying to Tokyo the next day. Back to the clinic. He wished that he could be doing something else instead. Such as racing. He hadn't raced anyone since Sudo Kyoichi. And that hadn't been fun. Perhaps he shouldn't have retired… No, he had done the right thing. Fujiwara and Keisuke had both surpassed him by now, as he knew they would. He had been good (and he still was), but they had that extra something that he lacked. Ryosuke sighed.

Once the packing was finished, he stepped out onto the balcony. It was a nice day outside, sunny, but not too hot. He decided to go for some sightseeing before leaving London.

As he was striding through the parking garage he heard Esme's voice. He shamelessly eavesdropped on her conversation. She was talking on a cell phone, most likely, because he didn't hear anyone apart from her.

"I'm not upset with you, I'm just disappointed. How am I going to go now? You know I can't do it by myself. I need another driver. I know you're sorry. Believe me, I'm not blaming you. So don't hold yourself responsible. It was an accident - you couldn't have prevented it. …I know, Yukiko. You better rest. Bye."

During the conversation Ryosuke had become interested. So he walked up to her and quietly asked, "What's wrong?"

Esme looked up at him, and he could detect tears in her eyes before she glanced back down. "Oh. It's Yukiko. She broke her wrist and won't be able to come with me on the rally."

He remembered how eager she had been during dinner when she had told him about it. "That's too bad." He didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah." She silently looked at the floor. "How's your convention going?"

"It ended today."

"Huh."

He saw her peek at him quickly before looking away. She did this a few times, while his curiosity went up.

"So, are you going back now?" she asked.

"Tomorrow morning." He waited for her to say what was really on her mind.

"Would you consider coming with me?" she slowly said.

Ryosuke was shocked into silence for one of the few times in his life, but he recovered amazingly. "You mean you want me to go with you on your rally?"

"Yes. I need another driver since Yukiko can't make it. I know, it's ridiculous. Of course you can't come. You probably already have your plane tickets and everything. It was just a crazy idea. I'll-" She sighed. "I'll just do it another year."

_This is cracked, _Ryosuke told himself. _You can't possibly be thinking of accepting. _What he heard himself say though, was completely the opposite. "I'd love to."

"You- _really_?" Esme's whole countenance changed. "This is so exciting! You're crazy, but I'm not gonna give you a chance to reconsider. We leave tomorrow. It starts at one, so we better get there at least half an hour before, and it takes…hm, how long does it take to get to Trafalgar Square from here? Less than half an hour, I think. Meet me by my car at noon tomorrow. "

"Okay." He couldn't believe that he had agreed to do this.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then!" She turned around and sprinted toward the elevator.

"Noon!" she shouted from the elevator before the doors closed.

Forget sightseeing. He had phone calls to make.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm glad that's over with," Ryosuke said. He shifted in his seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable because this FC didn't have racing seats like his had.

"I am as well. The start of the rally wasn't what I had expected," Esme replied.

The crowds, the cars, and the noise were alright - it had somewhat reminded Ryosuke of the battles that he had seen and participated in. He slightly missed them, even though he still attended all of Keisuke's races. But both he and Esme felt the maturity level of most of the participants was sub-average.

Now, it was just the two of them in the black car. Most of the other drivers were ahead, since Esme was barely driving over the speed limit.

They drove in silence for a few miles. Esme wondered if she should put some music on, but she didn't know what he liked, and she didn't want him to endure something he didn't like.

Ryosuke thought it was time to break the silence. If things went on like this for the rest of the trip, well, it was going to be a long three thousand miles.

"So, Esme, what do you think about the Lebanese/Israeli war?"

_Huh? What is he talking about?_

"I think you're really desperate for a conversation," she laughed.

"Yeah." He chuckled.

"Tell me about your family." She glanced at him for a moment.

"I'm the elder of two boys. My father and mother both work at a hospital they also own. My younger brother, Keisuke, is a professional driver. What about you?" He turned his eyes on her, taking in her delicate profile, the way she rested one hand on the wheel, the other on the shift knob. Her hands were slender and soft-looking.

"I'm the youngest of four. I have three older brothers, Sam, Damian and Perry. I'm the spoiled "daddy's girl." We live in Cambridge. My father is the president of a company in London. Two of my older brothers are married, and Perry plans to mooch off of Dad as long as he can, I'm guessing. He can be a bit daft at times, but I love my family. We're all close."

At that moment, her phone rang out a melody of some oldies song.

"See? It's my dad. Like I said, close." She picked up the phone. "Hello, Dad."

"Hello, Essie. I'm just checking up on you. Yukiko rang you, right? I'm so sorry you had to be disappointed, love. There's always next year. You'll be alright."

"Dad, I didn't cop out. I... er, found someone to come with me."

"Let's start at the beginning and explain clearly what is going on."

"Well, he's a doctor from Japan who was at a medical convention at the Charlotte Street Hotel and he-"

"He? A bloke? Have you gone daft? Does Yukiko know this... bloke?"

"Erm, no. He's just... a..."

"Let me speak with him."

"Alright, Dad." She handed the phone to Ryosuke, who looked at it questioningly.

"He wants to speak with you. Take it."

"Hello?"

"Hello, chap. I'm going to make myself very clear. You touch my daughter or hurt her in any way, and I will track you down and-" The next words of Mr. Jace made Ryosuke's hair stand on end.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, son. What's your name?"

"Takahashi Ryosuke."

"Well, Takahashi. I'm very pleased to meet you. I'll keep in touch. I'll have a final word with my precious daughter now."

Ryosuke handed the phone back to Esme.

"Dad, I'm going to strangle you."


	3. Chapter 3

Ryosuke was taking his turn at the wheel. He had insisted. This FC was unmodified, but it still had the rotary engine sound. He missed it. They drove in silence for several miles. They were trying to get to know each other, asking questions and slowly opening up.

All of a sudden the car in front of them turned too sharply when passing and spun around. _Stupid British drivers,_ he thought. _Just because they're in a road rally they think they're invincible._ Ryosuke's instincts came into play and he effortlessly drifted around the red Volkswagen.

Esme let out a small cry, thinking that he had lost control of the Mazda. When he straightened back out and kept on driving as if nothing had happened, she willed her heart to stop beating fast.

"Wow." Her voice was breathless. "Is that what they teach you in Japanese driving class?"

Ryosuke laughed. "Not quite."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was night; day one of the rally had come to a close. Hotel Villa Royale in Belguim was awaiting them. _And so was one suite! _Esme remembered that just as they walked up to the front desk. What if he thought she was coming on to him? They were still strangers.

"Hi, I need the key for Yukiko Hayashi's room," Esme quickly said before Ryosuke could say something. She would have to think of an alternative place to sleep. He had to have the room because she had dragged him along. Well, not dragged, exactly, but close enough.

"Here you go," said the concierge. "Room number 303. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you." Esme handed the card to Ryosuke. "Why don't you go on up? I just remembered something I had to do, so I'll be back later," she told him, thinking quickly on her feet.

He gave her a quick look, feeling that something was off, but took the card from her outstretched hand. "Okay."

"I'll be seeing you." She walked back out of the lobby.

After she was sure that Ryosuke was gone, she went back to the desk.

"Do you have any available rooms?"

"No, I'm sorry, miss. With this rally coming through, all the rooms have been booked."

"That's okay." Not having anywhere else to go, she went to her car.

_Think, __Esme__, think, _she told herself. _What to do?_ She sat in the front seat, contemplating her choices. There was the party at the hotel lounge for the drivers that she had to get ready for. She couldn't go dressed as she was now, and she couldn't wait on Ryosuke to leave so she could change. He could come back anytime. She groaned. Life had complicated itself so swiftly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryosuke made his way up to the third floor in the elevator. He felt a bit odd taking over her friend's room. He should probably put it on his credit card. No need for Esme to pay for it when she wasn't even using it.

Walking through the suite, Ryosuke casually observed his surroundings. _Nice place, _he thought. _I wonder which floor __Esme's__ staying on?_ He turned to the bedroom on the left, and went inside, setting his suitcase on the bed. Esme had said there was a party at eight. He might as well get ready.

In the bathroom Ryosuke realized that he forgot his toiletry bag in the car. And he really needed to shave - the facial hair thing was not for him. He let himself out of the room and rode the elevator down.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jumping slightly when the passenger door opened, Esme turned to see Ryosuke looking in.

"Esme?" Ryosuke asked. "Why aren't you getting ready?"

"Um. Whatdoyoumean?" The words slurred together in her nervousness.

"Why aren't you getting ready for the party?"

"I just… um…" She clutched the steering wheel, her mind racing. Oh, my stars! He wants me to stay in the room with him. Why was I so ridiculous?! I don't know him, and now he thinks I'm going to sleep with him. She stared down at her hands while her heart beat frantically.

Those odd thoughts he had clicked into place and the genius that Ryosuke was known for kicked into gear. Of course, Esme and her friend would get a two-room suite. She didn't have another room.

He could sense her nervousness. She probably was uneasy about sharing a suite with him, since she had meant to go with Yukiko on this rally. "I won't do anything. I promise."

"Okay," she squeaked.

He smiled, grabbed a bag out of the backseat and closed the door with his hip. "Let's go."

Up in the suite Ryosuke motioned with his hand. "I took the room on the left."

"That's fine," Esme replied, a little dazed. She walked into the other bedroom and silently locked the door. Not that she believed Ryosuke would do anything. It was just a habit. She flung her duffle bag on the bed and set about getting ready for the shindig.

An hour later she walked into the sitting room, only to find Ryosuke lounging on the couch talking on his cell phone. He was dressed in black slacks and a green button-down shirt, but he had left the top couple buttons undone and rolled up the shirtsleeves. Was he trying to be casual?

He was speaking in Japanese. She listened to him end the call before he turned to her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The music was loud, the drinks were flowing, and girls were hitting on him, at least until they had a personal taste of his aloof nature. Ryosuke looked around for Esme. He saw her at the bar, laughing and talking to a blond-haired skater-looking guy. He made his way over. She looked great. Her lace-trimmed sundress made him feel things he would rather not analyze right now.

"Hey." He sat down on the seat next to her.

"Hi. Are you having fun?" she asked him, turning away from what's-his-face that he now recognized as the driver of a candy red Scion xD. A totally careless driver.

He glanced around the room before meeting her eyes, trying to think of something that wouldn't offend her. He leaned in so Scion-boy couldn't eavesdrop. "This isn't really my type of thing, but-" he began.

"I'm not having that much fun, either," she responded quickly. "How about we leave?"

"Sure thing." He had no desire to stay around longer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back up in the suite Esme was thinking of ordering room service. She hadn't eaten at the party. After perusing the menu she picked up the phone and ordered some snacks. Then she turned on the television and watched some foreign news.

"Here in Your Arms" by Hellogoodbye was playing softly somewhere. Esme realized it was her cell phone. She picked it up and saw Yukiko's name on caller ID.

"Hello."

"Hi, Esme. I was just calling to ask how your day was."

"It went fine."

"I'm sorry about the rally."

"Yukiko, stop apologizing. It's fine."

"I just feel bad that you didn't get to go."

_What? _thought Esme. _Didn't I tell her? _"I did go. I must have forgotten to mention it to you, since it was so unexpected."

"You did? That's great! Who did you find to go with you?" Yukiko asked.

"Remember that guy from the parking garage?" she started to say before she was cut off.

"Oh, Esme! Please tell me you didn't. You don't know him! He could be anyone!"

"His name is Takahashi Ryosuke and he-" Esme was cut off again.

"_Who?!_I must have heard wrong. You didn't say Takahashi Ryosuke, did you?" On the other line, Yukiko was in shock.

"Yes. Yes, I did. Do you know him?"

"I know _of _him. He has been featured many times in magazines here in Japan."

"Oh. What for, his achievements in the medical field?"

"No. He used to be the greatest street racer. Professional teams wanted to snatch him up. But he declined them all."

"Really." Esme remembered how Ryosuke had drifted around that car in front of them. So that's where he got his skills.

Suddenly Ryosuke's door opened and he stepped out, still dressed up (Esme had changed into her pajamas).

"Listen, are you sure we're talking about the same person? It could be that they just share the same name. Takahashi is a very common last name here in Japan." Yukiko's voice broke into her thoughts.

"No, I'm pretty sure that they're the same." Not being comfortable talking about Ryosuke when he was standing ten feet away, she found an excuse to end the call. "Room service is going to be here soon. I gotta go."

"Okay. But call me more often. I want to hear all the juicy news!"

"Sure. Maybe tomorrow." She watched him walk over to the other couch and sit down.

"Bye!"

She slowly shut her phone, looking at him in what she hoped was a casual manner.

"Next time you want to talk about me, you might want to do so when I'm not in the vicinity."

Caught. Her cheeks flamed.

"Did I hear you say something about room service?"

"Yeah. It should be here anytime soon."

And at that moment it arrived. Ryosuke got up and opened the door. As the boy left, he tipped him.

"I'm not sure if there will be enough for both of us…" Esme trailed off. She was still embarrassed about him overhearing her conversation.

"We'll order more if we have to." He set about opening the platters. "Why don't you choose what you'll be eating, since you ordered this?"

They ate in silence. Ryosuke regretted his former words. He hadn't meant them seriously, but Esme looked very uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was teasing."

She looked up from where she had been admiring his bare feet. "You're forgiven."

"Nice pajamas," he told her.

"Thank you." She glanced down at what she was wearing, not remembering what she had on. It was shorts and a tank top, with cherries printed all over, the only pjs she had brought, of course.


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning they were standing by the FC, about to start day two of the rally, when a shaggy haired guy came up to them.

"Hey, Esme, can I catch a ride with you guys?" he asked.

"Wellington! I didn't know that you were here." Esme was happy to see a familiar face. She threw her arms around him for a quick hug.

"I could say the same thing about you." He smiled at her. "So, how about coming with you guys?"

"Sure, as long as you don't mind sitting in the back seat."

"No problem."

"What happened to your ride?" Esme asked.

"Uh…" he ran his hand trough his hair. "Guess."

"I have no idea, you cheeky monkey."

"Me and the guys kinda got into it."

"What guys?"

"Geoff, Miguel and Levi." Wellington looked over to where a silver Escalade was pulling out.

"Please tell me that you didn't bring up the ferret and Windex incident?" Esme asked.

"Uh…"

"Wells! You need to let that go!"

Ryosuke opened the driver's door. "Let's head out," he said, getting in.

Wellington looked around the interior. "Nice car, man," he told Ryosuke.

"It's not mine. It belongs to Esme," he answered.

"What happened to your BMW? You crash it?"

"No. It's at home. I haven't driven in your driveway lately, so I'm safe from 'art projects'. I bought this specifically for the trip, since I didn't want to take my car cross country. I heard that rotary engines last well for long trips. Or something like that."

"They do," Ryosuke told her. "What are you going to do with the FC once you've finished the rally?"

"With the what?"

"FC. That's what this car is called. It's short for FC3S, the chassis code."

"Oh, right. I'll probably sell it." FC? Chassis code? What language is that?

"Hey, Es, where'd all your good CDs go?" Wells called from the backseat. "All you have here is emo trash."

"I'm so very not offended," Esme shot back. "And I locked all my Duran Duran CDs in the glove box. Ha ha."

Rysouke smiled amusingly at their playful banter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Four hours later, Ryosuke was no longer amused. Wellington was much too friendly with Esme. He had to admit it (at least to himself); he was jealous.

He wished that "Wells" would go back to his buddies.

As if voicing his thoughts, the offending guy spoke up from the back seat. "Man, I think I have to apologize to my mates so I can go back to the Caddy. This back seat was not meant for humans." He pulled out a cell phone and dialed.

"Hey, Miguel. Listen, you guys can blast Bon Jovi at full volume if you want, mate. I'm sorry I thrashed him."

Ryosuke and Esme exchanged glances. Was that what the fight had been about?

"Where are you? We need to meet."

Twenty minutes later they pulled into a gas station, where the Escalade was already parked with the guys hanging around drinking colas.

"Thanks for letting me bum a ride," Wells said. "I'll see you at tonight's bash. Cheers!"

After he left Ryosuke turned to Esme and asked, "Will there be a party every night?"

"'Fraid so."

_Oh, joy. _Out loud he said, "Might as well fill up the car while we're here."

That evening the group stopped in Munich, Germany. Inside the hotel lobby Ryosuke made sure that Esme stayed by his side.

"No more funny business, okay?"

She nodded.

"Did you only reserve one room here, too?"

"Yes. I'm afraid it's that way in all the hotels."

"Okay. We'll share. Don't try to run off to the car."

She gulped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryosuke was wondering what to do about tonight. He wasn't in the mood for a party. Maybe he would just stay in his room and do research on his laptop.

There was a knock on his door.

"Come in."

Esme poked her head inside. "Guess what? They have a pool. Do you want to go swimming?"

Strut around in bathing shorts? "No, thank you."

"Do you want to go to the party then?"

"No."

"So why won't you go swimming?"

"I don't care for it."

"Come on, get off your bum, let's go."

He felt like sighing. But all of a sudden he got a picture of Esme in a bathing suit in his head. "All right."

"Great!"

How _did_ she talk him into these things?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were the only two at the pool. Ryosuke guessed that everyone was at the party. He didn't mind. It meant that Wellington wasn't here to ogle Esme in her white bikini.

"Get in the water, Ryosuke. We're not here to lounge on chairs."

He looked around, then settled himself into the hot tub. His muscles could use some relaxation.

But fifteen minutes later he found himself in the pool with Esme. They swam several laps before Esme announced that she was tired. They climbed out, and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Cold?" Ryosuke instinctively put his arm around her shoulders and drew her near. Her skin was cool and soft and… _what was he thinking?! _He casually slipped his arm down, placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her to a lounge chair. He had to take things slow here. After all, she was so nervous about staying in the same suite together. She would most likely bolt if he pushed his affections on her. But it sure would take a lot of willpower to pace himself. Then again, he wasn't called the man of icy control for nothing.

"Why don't we go out to eat at some restaurant?" Ryosuke asked, toweling himself off.

"Sounds good." Esme peeked at his fine physique. She grinned. Suggesting this swim had been a good idea.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't know anything about cars, so I'm not sure what kind to make the FC. So I asked my brother what kind he has, and he told me a 1987 Turbo II. There you are. I guess that will be Esme's car.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Esme walked into the sitting area. As usual, Ryosuke was waiting for her. He looked up when she stood in front of him.

"There's a nice restaurant not too far from here. Why don't we walk over?"

Esme looked down at her high heels. "How far, exactly, is 'not far'?"

He grinned. "Three blocks."

"Okay. I guess I can suffer for that long."

"Why do you allow yourself to suffer?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I like high heels. When I wear them, I usually don't plan to walk great distances. Anyway, I try to only buy those that are comfortable."

"Comfortable?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Somewhat," she amended.

The restaurant was appealing, and the corner where they had been seated was dark and intimate. Esme looked at her dining companion and wondered if he had purposefully asked for this. Sometimes that guy looked as if he was teeming with secret plans.

He looked back at her. "Are you ready to order?"

"Sure."

They didn't talk much during the meal. Esme had always felt a bit shy eating in front of strangers. Ryosuke wasn't a stranger anymore (she had seen him half-dressed, for goodness sakes), but she was still slightly wary. Eating was so…private, somehow. Ryosuke didn't seem inclined to talk, either.

"Do you want any dessert?" she heard the waitress ask.

"Hhm. The Rote Grütze sounds good. So does the sorbet." Esme was having a hard time choosing.

"Why don't you get both?" Ryosuke suggested.

"I guess I could."

"Will you have anything, sir?" the perky blond waitress asked Ryosuke.

"Just some coffee," he replied.

"Okay then." She scribbled on her pad. "I'll be back soon."

"Poor Kennedy," said Esme out of nowhere.

"Who?" asked Ryosuke.

"An American president. When he was in Berlin, he said 'Eich bein ein Berliner', thinking he said 'I am a Berliner'. To show his unity with the people of Berlin, or whatnot. What he actually said was 'I am a jelly filled doughnut'."

Ryosuke laughed. "I am sure that I make mistakes in English."

"No, your English is flawless, actually."

"Really? When you only had classmates to practice on, you never knew if you were speaking correctly or not, for they did not know it any better than you."

"If anything, my Japanese needs work."

"You know Japanese?" he inquired.

"Yes. I wanted to learn when I met Yukiko. Her family helped me get started, and visiting them in Tokyo expanded my vocabulary."

"Do you only know how to speak it, or can you also read and write?"

"I can read and write it, although it's worse than my spoken Japanese."

The dessert and coffee arrived, and Esme dug into her pudding. Delicately, of course. Ryosuke took sips of coffee and enjoyed looking at Esme.

Esme gave a little sigh. "I am so full. Perhaps you could roll me back to the hotel?"

"After eating, it is beneficial to take a little walk to aid digestion."

She frowned in jest. "I really don't need a doctor's lecture right now."

"That wasn't a lecture. If you want a lecture, you should hear me talk about smoking."

"Smoking? That _is_ bad for you."

"Yeah." He became serious. "I used to smoke. Three years ago, I had a cancer scare. That finally got me to stop."

"You little hypocrite. Three years ago you were a medical student, right?"

He nodded.

"Besides the addiction, why smoke when you know exactly how bad it is for you, and for those around you?"

He was silent for a moment. "I really don't know. Image, perhaps? Half of the men in Japan smoke. And once I started, it was tough to stop." He paused again. "Keisuke, my younger brother, used to smoke, too. I know that he started after I did. He looked up to me. I told him to stop, but he said that I smoked, so why couldn't he? How I used to wish I could quit so he would, but I never seemed to have the strength. I was more worried about his health than I was mine. But luckily, after I quit so did he."

"Being a role model isn't everything it's cracked up to be, huh?"

Ryosuke focused his dark eyes on her. "I'm glad that in everything else I was exemplary.

Esme's eyes widened. "Wow. My older brothers were an awfully bad lot compared to you."

He shrugged. "Being the oldest, I grew up with responsibility and obligations."

They left the restaurant soon afterwards, but Esme remembered his words. As they walked home, she observed him for some time, before finally speaking her mind. "I find it hard to believe that that you were so _good_."

He grinned at her. "Why? Am I so bad?"

"No." She shook her head. "You're near perfect, it seems, but we're all human. We all mess up."

"That's true. I'm not saying I was perfect. But the example I set was commendable."

"Perhaps too praiseworthy?" she ventured to suggest.

Ryosuke wondered how it was that Esme, who had only known him for such a short time, could hit the nail on its rusty head. "That's feasible. Keisuke was a troublemaker for several of his teenage years." He suddenly smirked. "I can still remember his face when I took him down mount Akagi for a joy ride. Most likely he thought he was going to die!"

"You sound pleased."

"It had its effect, so I am."

"What effect?"

"He stopped his involvement in a motorcycle gang and turned his attentions to something productive."

"Motorcycle gang?" Her expression said it all. "So, what did he do after that?"

"He raced. My parents bought him a car - which he chose based on what I drove, but it was newer and this yellow color that I thought was ostentatious, but never had the heart to tell him so - and he was determined to become as good as me."

"And did he accomplish his goal?"

"He exceeded. He is much better than I am or ever was." His voice was low as he said this.

Esme impulsively took his hand into hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Is that hard for you?"

"I don't begrudge Keisuke his success, but I love to race. Or, more accurately, loved to. I haven't raced anyone in years. And I wanted to be the best. In a sense, I did accomplish my goal, since I became the best that I ever could be. But there were others that were better than I was. Because truthfully, I don't have that extra something that would have taken me far in the professional racing world."

"If that drift that you did to avoid that car yesterday was any indication of your skills, I'd say that you're phenomenal."

"Oh, that was nothing," he carelessly replied.

"Nothing?!" She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "I don't know anyone who can do anything like it!"

He gazed at her, noticing that in her heels she almost was eye-to-eye with him. "Maybe you just don't have any acquaintances that race."

She furrowed her brow. "Maybe not."

He pressed the hand that she hadn't realized he was still holding. "Come on. It's getting late. We should head back to the hotel."


	6. Chapter 6

Esme looked up at the Corinthia Towers Hotel in Prague. It was impressive. This was one aspect of traveling that she really liked - spending the nights in different hotels. She was also getting used to having a roommate.

Up in their luxurious suite, Ryosuke was sitting on a loveseat, doing some research on his laptop when Esme's cell phone rang. He glanced over, curious as to who was calling. She had decided to take a shower before dinner, but he didn't hear the water running anymore.

"Could you answer that, please? It might be important!" she called out.

"Sure," he replied. He flipped the phone open. "Hello."

"Who is this?" Ryosuke heard Esme's father ask (it was impossible to forget his voice).

"Takahashi Ryosuke."

"Why are you answering Esme's phone?"

"She was unable to answer it herself, and asked for my help."

"Unable? What is she doing?"

"Taking a shower."

Ryosuke heard him mutter "At least you're not in there with her." His eyebrows rose. "Listen," he continued, "What are you doing in her room?"

"I'm not in her room, sir. I'm in the sitting area."

"Well, you tell Esme to call me back. I want to make sure that she's fine."

"I will do that."

"G'bye."

"Goodbye." Ryosuke heaved a sigh. He was glad that was over.

The phone rang again. "Do you want me to answer this one, also?"

"Please!"

Hoping it wasn't her dad, he took the call. "Hello."

"Hey. Isn't this Esme's number?"

"Yes, it is."

"And who are you?"

"A friend."

"Well, this is her brother. Do you mind defining 'friend'?"

Ryosuke rubbed his temple. Was the whole family going to interrogate him? "As a matter of fact, I do mind. I'll have her call you when she becomes available." He shut the phone closed.

Esme came in, rubbing her hair with a towel. "Who was it?"

"The first call was from your father, and the second one was your brother."

"Oh. How'd that go?"

"Not too well. Your dad is grateful that I'm not bathing with you and your brother thinks that I am a _'friend'_."

She blushed and tried to hide behind her towel.

"They want you to call them back."

"Okay." She took her phone from off the table and disappeared into her room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They went to the dinner that was served before the rowdy party would begin. The hostess looked up from the counter.

"Oh, hello. Come on in. We have a party of elderly American tourists here for the week, so it's a bit crowded. You're welcome to sit with any of them; they love company, especially young people. Americans are so nice. Enjoy your meal!"

"Thank you," Esme and Ryosuke answered in turn. They slowly made their way around the dining room, looking for a spot.

"Oh, come sit with us!" an elderly lady called to them from a nearby table she was sharing with an elderly man. "I'm so sorry, I should probably ask if you understand English?"

"We do," Esme reassured her quickly. Ryosuke pulled her chair out for her, and she sat down. He took the chair next to her.

"Ooooh, did you see that, Eddie? Just like you used to do for me before your hip gave out." She turned to them. "I'm Helen, and this is my husband, Edward."

"I'm Ryosuke, and this is my lovely companion, Esme."

"She's lovely, all right," Eddie voiced. This prompted a good-natured poke from his wife as Esme blushed.

"Are you both from England? You sound British," said Helen. "I'm from England," Esme returned, "but-"

"I'm from Japan," Ryosuke finished. "I sound British because my English teacher in Japan taught British-English, plus I spend quite a bit of time in England."

"Oh, so that's how you two know each other?"

"Not quite," Esme laughed. Before she could explain, an announcer introduced the evening's band before inviting everyone up to the buffet.

"We'll stay here and wait for the lines to go down," Helen said, "Eddie's hip can't take standing up for too long, but you guys go ahead."

"We'll wait here," Ryosuke said. Esme nodded her consent. While they waited, Esme and Ryosuke filled the couple in on their meeting and adventures so far. They finally got up to get their food. Ryosuke walked ahead with Eddie as they discussed his upcoming hip surgery.

Helen and Esme dropped behind them and Helen said quietly to Esme, "That'll be a story to tell your grandchildren."

Esme laughed and blushed again, "I really don't think we-"

"Oh, honey," Helen interrupted her, "the way he looks at you isn't a look of lust, if you know what I mean. He really cares about you."

"You think so?" Esme whispered.

"Honey, I've been around for a long time. Trust me. Don't forget to give him a little encouragement on your side. He's very respectful of you, that's why he's not … manhandling you." They giggled loudly.

"What are you two women whispering about?" Eddie asked. "Sharing secrets, all women-like and mysterious. Means they're talking about us, you know." He elbowed Ryosuke, and they laughed.

Over dinner, the couple shared about their life back home in Minnesota. They talked about their house. "A Victorian, dear. So much more character than those fancy new houses."

They joked about their five children. "Nearly bankrupted us, the trouble they'd cook up. Sticking Legos down the garbage disposal. Remember that, Helen?"

"They say it comes back twice-fold. The grandkids are even more mischievous."

"They deserve them. Except Caroline. And her little girl is just as sweet as she was."

They listed the countries they had visited since retiring. "England was grand."

"Got to see the queen, too. She's not as impressive in the flesh."

"Oh, Eddie, you're just disappointed she didn't keep the handkerchief you tossed at her."

"Nonsense, the wind swept it out of my hand and it landed by her is all. Do you remember what happened in Peru?"

Here Helen shuddered. "I wish I could forget. That was the most frightful experience I've had. I'll never go back to Peru."

"Why, what happened?" Esme asked, breathless in anticipation of a terrifying story.

"It's not a pretty story, dear. I'd rather not repeat it."

Right about then, couples started to go out to the dance floor in front of the band.

"Don't you young'uns have some wild party to go to?"

Esme and Ryosuke exchanged knowing smiles.

"There is a party, yes, but we'd rather sit it out ," Ryosuke answered.

"Well then, let's dance!" Helen grabbed Ryosuke's hand and led him away, laughing.

"Looks like you're stuck with the invalid," Eddie smiled. "Let's go give it a try, Esme."

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" Esme asked uncertainly as she followed him out to the floor.

"Can't an old geezer with a bad hip have some fun?"

Helen and Ryosuke twirled past them.

"This boy can dance!" Helen called out to them.

"Show 'em how you boogie, Esme," Eddie retorted, which made Esme burst out in laughter. She showed off a bit, stepping and swaying to the beat. Her silk skirt twirled around her, and her curls bounced along to the rhythm. A light pink flush graced her cheeks. None of this escaped Ryosuke's admiring gaze.

The upbeat song faded out, and the singer started crooning to a soft, sensual melody.

"Excuse me, honey," Helen said, cutting into Esme's dance with Eddie. "I want to savor this slow song with my hunk here before his hip gives out." She tilted her head in the direction of a woman on the side of the dance floor. "You'd better go grab your boy before Ethel does. She has a thing for younger men."

Esme glanced in the direction Helen had showed. Ethel was wearing more makeup than a circus artist. She was already headed in Ryosuke's direction. Esme got there first, having the advantage of youth.

"Will you honor me with this dance, sir?"

"Of course." He slipped his arm around her waist and took her hand. "You saved me from Ethel, after all," Ryosuke added quietly, leaning in close. They watched as Ethel, undiscouraged, found another partner. Esme gave a quiet laugh that sent shivers down Ryosuke's back. They passed Helen and Eddie, who were stealing kisses in between intimate whispers.

"I've found who I want to be like when I grow up," Esme said to Ryosuke.

"Mmmh," he murmured in agreement. "They're so in love, it's hard to imagine them being more in love when they were younger."

"I think they've probably grown more in love as they got _older_," Esme reasoned. They watched them for a while longer. "I think you're right." Something in his voice made Esme look at him. Her eyes met his and he held her gaze before leaning in to whisper in her ear. "May I kiss you?"

Esme's breath caught in her throat, but she managed to whisper back. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

He leaned down slightly until his warm, soft lips brushed her cheek. Esme moved her hand from his shoulder to his neck; her cool fingers stroked it gently. They kept their heads close together, quiet, until the song ended. They pulled apart, looking into each other's eyes again. Esme saw his tender gaze and returned it naturally with her own.

"Okay, my American friends. Let's shake it up!" the singer said in her thick accent.

A funky beat blared out over the loudspeakers.

"They sure know how to kill the mood," Ryosuke said as they started to move to the music.

Esme laughed as she whirled around.


	7. Chapter 7

She was still slightly swaying and humming as they made their way up to their suite later that night. They walked inside, and paused, looking at each other. Ryosuke took her hand and planted a kiss on her palm.

He started to say good night, but was interrupted.

"Aw, could I have a kiss?"

Esme shrieked and flung herself at Ryosuke, who instinctually wrapped his arms around her, but looked for the source of the voice.

They both noticed Wellington at the same time.

"Wells?" said Esme, untangling herself from the comfort of Ryosuke's arms. "What are you doing in our room?"

He tried to focus on her face. "I need a place to sleep tonight, 'cuz Levi was being _such_ a spaz, an' I couldn't help but punch him, so he kicked me out. An' in my boxers, too!"

"Are you drunk?" she asked him.

"No. I only had five beers. It takes more than ten to make me drunk." He giggled like a girl.

Esme rolled her eyes. "Maybe to make you passed-out drunk," she said under her breath.

"So can I sleep on your couch?" he persisted.

"Whatever. But couldn't you have called? Instead of sneaking in here?"

"I couldn't memember your number!" he slurred.

"Alcohol will do that to you," she said unmercifully. "I hope you don't plan on doing any driving tomorrow."

"Aw, those wankers never let me drive anyway." Wellington tried to situate himself on the couch. "Could I have a blanket?"

Esme sighed. "I'm sorry about this," she told Ryosuke. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

She grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and dumped it on top of Wells. "Here you go." He was already asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning Wells left before they woke up. Esme and Ryosuke ate breakfast with Helen and Edward, enjoying their company one last time.

"I see that you took my advice," Helen whispered to Esme as they were taking their goodbyes.

"What do you mean?" asked the younger lady.

"Don't think that just because I'm old I'm blind. I saw that kiss he gave you on the dance floor."

Esme felt her ears grow hot.

Helen winked. "You keep it up, girl.

"As Ryosuke and Esme rode the elevator up to their room, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "What did you and Helen talk about?"

She smiled without looking at him as she replied "Boys."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Esme walked up to the Mazda and stopped in surprise. Ryosuke had the hood popped up and was looking around at the inside.

"Do we have engine trouble?" she questioned him.

Ryosuke lifted his head and smiled at her. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Just a minor electrical problem." He paused, staring back at the motor. "Just as I predicted. It's good to know that I haven't lost my touch."

"What touch?" Esme asked with a puzzled look.

"The ability to know how a car has been tuned just by listening to how it runs."

She scrutinized him. "You're serious." She shook her head. "How can you be such a genius?"

"I'm not a genius," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. "I just love cars. And after hearing all sorts of different ones, I was able to distinguish the characteristics of each one."

A nearby car left its parking space. As it drove by, Esme turned to Ryosuke. "All right. Tell me what that car has done to it."

He smiled. "Air intake system and a Whipple supercharger. Somewhere around 290 horsepower."

"How about that blue one?"

"Stage 2 camshaft and an Apexi high-gloss, breathable windshield."

"Oh, haha, aren't you the comedian." Esme finished stowing her suitcase in the trunk and shut it.

Ryosuke shut the hood, smiling. "C'mon, let's get going." He held open the driver's door for her.

"Breathable windshield, yeah right." Esme muttered as she got in. She heard Ryosuke laughing as he closed the door and walked around the car.

"I want to buy the car from you," he told her when they were on the highway.

"But don't you already have one just like it?" she asked him, puzzled.

"I had one. But I blew the engine while battling Keisuke."

"You mean racing?"

"Yeah, same thing. We were settling a dispute, Takahashi style. He won. But I know I was right."

"Right about what?"

"If you're wearing sandals, you can't wear socks. Since he won, he does it all the time, though. I bet just to bug me, because he never used to wear sandals that often."

"That's not even closely related to automotives."

"No, it's not," he agreed. "But I don't verbally spar with Keisuke, seeing as I have the advantage."

"You're conceited, you know that?" she said teasingly.

"Yes, I know," he responded, "But at least I'm handsome."

"What? Who told you that lie?"

"My mom."

"She's biased."

"How about you? Do you think I'm handsome?"

She grinned. "I'm biased, too."

"Anyway, back to the FC. How much did you pay for it?"

"Three thousand pounds."

"That'd be…"

"829,980 yen," she interrupted him. He stared at her with admiration on his face. "I'm the accountant here, remember?"

"I'll give you 820 thousand."

Esme pretended to consider his offer. "Deal. But, what do you drive now?"

"A Honda NSX. It's a practical car that suits my needs, since I don't race anymore. I tried out several cars - Lancer Evos, Nissans, Subarus. I especially loved testing the Skyline GTR. Keisuke hates them, ever since some racer wannabe messed with him on some highway somewhere. I drove this red GTR home for a test drive, but told Keisuke that I had bought it. He didn't speak to me for a week."

"All because of a car?"

Ryosuke shrugged. "He can be funny that way." He glanced around the inside of the car. "I miss my FC. I think I'll drive this car until Mazda comes out with a new good rotary." He frowned. "If they ever do."


	8. Chapter 8

While they were filling up, Ryosuke was shopping for snacks and drinks inside the convenience store. When he spotted half a dozen yellow roses, he paused. It might be a little too soon for roses. They were pretty though. Smelled good, too. They even came with the little green tubes stuck on the bottom so they wouldn't dry out. Wasn't yellow for friendship? When Esme went into the ladies room, he made his move.

He was waiting in the car when Esme returned.

"Did you get my peanut M&Ms?"

"Right here."

She took the bag from him and settled into the seat, propping her feet up on the dashboard. He started the car, shifting smoothly as they drove back onto the highway.

"Yurealy cloth with Keshkhi?"

"What?"

She swallowed her mouthful of M&Ms before trying again. "You're really close with Keisuke?"

"Probably just as close as you are to your brothers."

"Yeah." She stared out the window for a long time. "Do your parents love each other as much as when they were married?" she asked out of the blue.

"I believe they do. Every year, they go on honeymoons. They say they're not only for newlyweds." He wanted to ask why she wanted to know, but he didn't say anything.

After a moment, she spoke. "I would always envy my classmates because it seemed everyone's mum and dad were together and in love, and here my mum had run off with some bloke she met at work. It wasn't like I loved my mum, or anything. She was never around much anyways. I just felt like everyone else had something better than I did, and one of the girls actually said she pitied me. It made me angry, so I told her that I pitied her because her father drank and her mother worked so much she was never home. I told her I'd rather have one parent that loved me than two parents who didn't care for me at all. It made her cry, and dad had me apologize to her the next day, but I realized it was true, what I had said." She turned to look at Ryosuke. "You know, there were times when I wished I had a mum. Not my mum, just a mum. But I turned out all right, I guess."

Ryosuke turned to look at her and she grinned. "You turned out to be quite a lady."

"I had my friends' help, of course. Jenna's mum took me shopping for my first bra. It was something my dad refused to do."

"I don't blame him." Ryosuke said quickly.

_He's a bloke!_ Esme remembered a tad too late. _Not one of my female friends!_ She quickly changed the subject.

"Do you think we should make an appearance at tonight's party?"

"Do you think Scion-boy will be there?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. I suppose it would give you another chance to show off your pretty dresses."

"Yeah. It's fun to dress up." Esme racked her brain, trying to remember who drove a Scion.

"Garret," she whispered.

It was Ryosuke's turn to say "Huh?"

"He was telling me how Ryan's car had died, and they spent two hours trying to figure out what was wrong with it until someone checked the fuel gauge and it turns out they had run out of gas. I hadn't laughed so much in ages."

"That's nice that you had such a nice time with him. Maybe he'll be at tonight's party. I don't see what's so funny about his story, though."

"Oh, it wasn't so much what he said as how he said it. He's a gifted comedian."

_Well,_ Ryosuke thought, _at least she __has__ a good sense of humor. Besides, it had taken her a while to remember Scion-guy, right?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryosuke spotted Wells in the hotel parking lot in Poland. He wondered if trusting this guy was a good idea, but he needed help. _Well, here goes, _he thought. "Wellington!"

The guy turned around, and spotting Ryosuke, returned a "Hey, man."

"Could you do me a favor?"

The apprehensive look on his face slowly disappeared. "Sure. What is it?"

Ryosuke outlined his plan. "Go, before Esme returns from visiting with friends and sees you."

"Okay." He took what Ryosuke held out to him and made his way to the hotel entrance.

Ryosuke waited until Esme came back, and stalled for a few more minutes, just in case Wells needed them. "Ready to go to our room?" he asked.

"Yep." She pulled her suitcase behind her as they made their way to the lobby. At the desk, she asked for their suite.

"Here you are, miss," he said, handing her a key and a yellow rose. "Number 212."

Her eyes widened when she saw the flower. "Thanks."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, Ryosuke knocked on Esme's door when he had finished dressing for the party. "Esme?" he called.

"Mmmm?" came the sound from behind the door.

"Are you almost ready?"

"Erm, not really. You can come in if you'd like."

_Be still, my heart_. Of course, she wouldn't be undressed. He put his hand to the doorknob. She was a lady, after all. He pushed open the door. The room was empty. _Houdini?_ No, there she was, in the bathroom, fixing her hair. He came in and sat on the edge of her bed, watching. She was pinning a curl in place. She stopped, picked up her hand mirror, looked at the back of her hair, then pulled the pin out again, and let the curl fall. She did this three times. Even Ryosuke was starting to get frustrated.

"Can I help?" he asked finally, getting off the bed and coming towards her.

"Can you do hair?" she asked.

"No, but you're driving me crazy." He stood behind her and picked up the curl she was fiddling with. She held up a bobby pin. He had no idea what to do, so he just stuck the curl to her head with the pin. She picked up the little mirror and turned around, staring at his handiwork.

"Wow. That's perfect. Are you sure you're in the right profession?"

He laughed. She lowered the mirror. She hadn't realized he was standing right in front of her. Staring up at him looking at her hair in the big mirror behind her, she remembered Helen's words about encouragement. She placed the mirror on the counter. _Here goes._

"You smell nice," she said, placing her hands on his waist and taking his dress shirt into her fists.

"You look nice," he returned, drawing his hands along her arms before wrapping them around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"Will you kiss me again?" Esme asked quietly.

Ryosuke heard a quiver in her voice. "If you want me to."

"Don't miss my lips this time," she joked.

He didn't.


	9. Chapter 9

They stepped into the bar, their eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. People were all over the place, drinking and dancing, having fun. Guys immediately came up to Esme to ask her if they could get her a drink, or if she wanted to dance.

"You're really popular," Ryosuke whispered in her ear.

"No, I'm just a scarce commodity," she whispered back.

He glanced around at the party scene. "Where'd all the girls go?"

"To a spa, I think. Why don't you get me something to drink?" she asked him playfully.

"And leave you to these salivating wolves?"

"I love your way with English words." Esme observed the room with a quick eye. "Why don't we go to that corner on the left?"

He looked over to where she had indicated. Compared to the rest of the locale, it was moderately quiet and uneventful. "Sounds good."

They made their way over, stopping every now and then to talk to fellow rally participants. Ryosuke pulled out a chair for Esme, and they settled down. Only a few minutes passed before Scion-boy made his way over to them.

"Hi, Esme. May I sit down?" he asked, indicating a chair on her right.

"Go ahead." She stole a peek at Ryosuke, who had a blank expression on his face.

"How've you been?" he asked her. "I haven't seen you at the parties these past two days."

"Oh, I was tired," she answered vaguely. "Have you met Ryosuke? He's my copilot."

"No, I haven't. " Garret held out his hand. "Garret Stumbaugh."

Ryosuke shook the offered hand. "Takahashi Ryosuke."

Garret frowned. "Is your first name Takahashi or Ryosuke?"

"Ryosuke. The Japanese place their surnames before their first names."

He nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Do you want to dance?" Garret looked at Esme with hopeful eyes.

"Maybe for just a bit." She turned to Ryosuke. "Why don't you grab something to drink? Don't just sit there. Have fun!"

He stood up. "I will. Don't worry about me." He watched her walk away and start dancing. Glancing around he realized this party was the perfect cover. He quietly left to go back to the suite. Taking another rose out of the bouquet, he turned down her blanket and placed it atop the pillow. Then he made his way back to the bash, where he ordered a drink for himself and Esme and brought them back to their table. Ryosuke endured two painful rap songs before Esme finally returned.

"Hi," she said breathlessly. "I'm so thirsty." She glanced at the drink. "Um, is that champagne?"

"Nah. It's some sort of fruit soda. The waitress called it Dushess."

Esme tried the soda. "Delicious. Did you try some?"

"Yes, I did."

They were interrupted by another salivating wolf. "Do you want to dance?" he asked hopefully.

Esme shook her head sadly. "I've already promised Ryosuke that I would dance with him," she inclined her head toward Ryosuke. "Maybe later, mate," she said with a smile that left no hard feelings.

Ryosuke watched the mate walk off. "You handled that well. But now you owe me the next dance."

"Funny how that worked out." Esme grinned.

Several dances later, Ryosuke stood at the bar as he sipped his soda and surveyed the dance floor. He had lost Esme after their second dance, and hadn't been able to keep track of her since. It seemed as if every guy in the place wanted a turn. Maybe because Esme was such a good dancer and her sparkly gold halter dress attracted quite a bit of attention. Yes, he had noticed.

One of the other girls from the rally danced with Ryosuke, but most of his evening was spent catching glimpses of Esme as she shimmered her way around the dance floor.

_Okay, he could only take so much __Kayne__ West and P. __Diddy_Ryosuke decided, after another hour had passed of small talk about cars with guys and drinking his now-warm soda. If only he could find Esme to tell her that he was leaving. When he finally caught a glimpse of her, she was dancing with someone he recognized, but whose name he didn't know. He inwardly sighed, but made his way to where she was. When he reached her, she grasped his hands.

"Did you come to dance with me?" she asked, eyes dancing.

"No-o-o." Ryosuke almost changed his mind, but instead said, "I came to tell you that I'll be heading back to our room now."

"Did you have any fun, Ryosuke?" She searched his eyes.

"Sure I did. Watching you dance is fun."

Still holding onto one of his hands, she walked with him to the exit. "Don't think that I'm going to let you go by yourself." She leaned into him playfully. "You'll get into all sorts of mischief."

"Such as…ordering room service?"

"It's a good thing that I came along," she joked.

Up in their suite, she flopped onto the couch after taking off her shoes. "It feels great to stretch out."

"What do you want to eat?" Ryosuke asked, looking over the menu.

"Why don't you come sit down so I can read over your shoulder?"

He sat down to her left and held the menu out.

"Do you know what you want already?" she asked.

"No, but I'm craving seafood."

"I think I want some hot tea and the cheesecake dessert. I'm feeling a bit cold."

Ryosuke stood up and went into his room. _Okay, then, _Esme stared after him, a little wounded. He came back in, carrying a blanket. She smiled to herself. "You are just… so sweet."

He draped the blanket around her. "Who, me? I know. I'm almost perfect." They grinned at each other and he dropped his head to give her an unexpected kiss.

Esme kept her eyes closed as she whispered, "You're such a tease."

He leaned in to pick up from where he broke off, but a cell phone played in Esme's purse on the couch.

_"Well you are the one, the one who lies close to me __Whispers hello, I miss you quite terribly__I fell in love, in love with you suddenly"_

Ryosuke wondered to whom she assigned that song.

Esme finally found the phone at the bottom of her small purse after throwing out about half its contents. She checked the screen and tossed the phone on the floor. Esme took Ryosuke's hands and pulled him down onto the couch next to her.

"It can wait."

They faced each other on the couch, still holding hands. Esme blushed and looked down at their intertwined hands.

"What are you thinking of that's enough to make you blush?" Ryosuke asked in a hushed, husky voice.

_What a baby Takahashi would look like._

"Nothing," she lied unconvincingly.

"Be secretive, then."

They snuggled together, sharing silly secrets. "I wanted to be a pole dancer when I was little."

Ryosuke's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You little hussy."

"I didn't know what it was. My brothers would come up with these ridiculous definitions for all these terms that I would hear and ask what they were. So a pole dancer was someone who lived on the North or South Pole and danced around during sunset or sunrise. I thought that was the coolest occupation ever. And you know how old people always ask what you want to be when you grow up." They laughed. "That's a conversation killer right there."

"When I was little, we had a bird bath in the backyard that I tried a science experiment in. The chemical solution disintegrated the bottom and it broke in half. I knew my parents would be pretty angry with me, so I broke the thing into little pieces and threw it away. I made up a story that someone had come in a red Honda and stolen it. Less than a week later, one of the families in our neighborhood bought an identical bird bath, and my parents always thought they were the ones that stole it. Unfortunately for the family, they owned a red Honda."

Ryosuke felt Esme's shoulders shake as she laughed.

"Hey," she gasped, "we forgot room service!" She scrambled up and went to the phone.


	10. Chapter 10

I am taking the racing sequences from the manga, and if it was a private battle (such as the one against Shingo and Mako), I am going with a belief that Ryosuke didn't know about it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Late that night, after they had eaten and talked, Ryosuke lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. The rally was going to end soon, and he was going to fly to Japan. Back to his medical practice. He wondered why that wasn't as distasteful as it had been a week ago. Maybe tagging along with Esme on this trip had been exactly what he needed to put everything into perspective. Just because his career choice wasn't automotive (or his choice, really), didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy cars. And Esme…

He rolled over onto his stomach and propped his chin in his hands, staring out the window. He had come to care for her deeply in just a few days.

_That's not possible,_ his brain argued with him_. At this moment, all it is, is __a chemical__ reaction. It will pass in a few weeks or so._

_That's not so,_ his heart seemed to answer back. _There is such a thing as love at first sight, so why not love in a few days? _

_Shut up, both of you,_ he ordered them, placing a pillow over his ears tightly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had breakfast early, while most people were still sleeping. Esme had wanted to beat the morning rush. And, perhaps, not have to deal with her fellow trip mates. Last night was enough.

Ryosuke unsuccessfully tried to hide a small yawn.

"Didn't you get enough sleep?" asked Esme.

"Yes, I did. Not enough oxygen in my blood stream to suit my brain, though."

"Oh, yeah. That overworked organ of yours," she teased.

"You got it."

Esme sipped her hot chocolate and waited for breakfast to arrive. If she didn't eat something shortly her stomach was going to let out a protest.

The waiter arrived presently, for which Esme was thankful. After placing her order of pancakes and sausage in front of her, he also set a rose down by her silverware.

"Thank you," she told the waiter. After he left she turned to Ryosuke. "I love the service here!"

"It's exceptional," he replied with a small smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You wait here," Ryosuke told Esme. "I'll bring the car up."

"You'd think they would have valet parking at this place," she said.

"They do. But with all the people here they have their hands full. It's no trouble."

She waited under the awning as she watched him stride away. Ryosuke looked good coming or going, she decided. She especially liked his attire. He was always dressed up, no matter what the occasion.

When the Mazda rolled to a stop in front of her, she noticed a yellow rose lying on top of the roof, just like the one on her pillow last night. And the one at breakfast and check in. She picked it up and brushed it against her cheek. The petals were soft.

Ryosuke got out of the car and walked around to her side. "Let's pack up."

She smiled at him. "Sure thing. You're driving?"

"Yes. For the first shift." He put their suitcases into the trunk and shut it with a loud thump.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As they drove along, Esme was thinking a great deal about the near future. She wondered if Ryosuke planned to continue their relationship once he was in Japan. Or was this a fling for him? She took a deep breath.

Ryosuke looked over when he heard her. "Hey."

"Huh?" She moved her head to gaze at him.

"You sound gloomy."

"Oh. I was just thinking about stuff."

He took his hand off the gearshift to hold hers. Her grasp on his hand was desperate. He wondered what was wrong.

"Ryosuke, tell me a story."

"A story?" He thought about what he could tell her about. "Okay, I'll tell you about the Akina 86. Back in Gunma where I come from, about four years ago, a racing team called the RedSuns from Mount Akagi arrived on a nearby mountain, Akina, and challenged the Speedstars, the team that called Akina its home course, to a race. Their goal was to defeat everyone in the Kanto region, leave time records that would not be broken for years, and retire. The race was set for the following week.

"But that night, right before they went home, a yellow FD was racing downhill when it saw headlights in its rearview mirror. He waited for the car to draw near to him, and they drifted through the next corner. The FD was surprised that the car next to his was an 86. Now, an 86 was a decade old car back then, but the FD was only a couple years old. So the FD was thinking that no way was the 86 able to keep up with him. At a corner not too far into the impromptu race, the FD slowed down, because he knew that after the gentle corner was a sharp turn that required a lower speed. The 86 didn't slow down and the FD was sure that it would fall off the mountain. Instead, it performed an inertia drift and it was the FD that spun out, since the 86 had ruined his concentration. He thought that perhaps he had seen a ghost."

"Was it a ghost?" Esme interrupted.

"Listen and you'll find out. The next week, the FD was ready to battle the 86. But as the time drew near for it to began, it still hadn't arrived. The Speedstars had chosen a different car to race, but during the countdown the guys at the base of the mountain announced that a car had passed by, and when the FD questioned them, he found out that it was the 86.

"When it arrived, and the driver stepped out, his teammates were surprised. It seemed that they had been expecting his dad."

"His dad? Who was his dad?"

"I have no idea." Ryosuke resumed his story. "At the take off, the FD took the lead. He thought that he would never see the 86 again, but he quickly caught up to him. And passed him on the inside of a corner. The FD could not understand how he had been passed; the 86 is not a car that can turn that fast. His team leader explained it to him later - the 86 had hooked his tire in the gutter to give him a faster turning radius."

"Ingenious," said Esme, although she didn't understand what he was saying exactly.

"It was. And the RedSuns' project was blown in one race. The team leader decided to defeat the 86 next. But while he was practicing, another car had challenged him to a race, an R32 from the Night Kids team over in Myogi. It was rumored that the 86 didn't want to race him, so the FD tried to talk to him to get him to race, but he said whatever and blew him off. You see, the FD wanted the 86 to beat the R32, since he had been beaten. And like before, the 86 shows up at the last minute, which had made plenty of people think that it wasn't coming at all. The RedSuns' team leader invited the FD driver to come with him as he followed the race from the prime spot - in his FC. He observed the 86 in order to catch a weakness that would allow him to defeat him. The 86 won by changing his line during full breaking and passing the R32. He is an extraordinary driver."

"Huh? Why?" asked Esme.

"The 86 doesn't have ABS, so his tires will lock up unless he knows exactly how and when to press on the brakes. All this while also switching gears and steering. His car is old and that makes it much harder for him than drivers who have newer cars that have systems which help with the brakes and under steer and all the rest."

"I see."

"Then the team leader challenged the 86 to a race. The FC had a battle plan. But the 86 made a mistake, and the FC passed him, even though it was too soon according to the plan. It proved to be his undoing, for he was passed himself before the finish line.

"The RedSuns put their plans on the back burner, but one member, the S14, was not happy that no one from the team had defeated the 86. So he tried to do so. Now, he was real good with driving in the rain, so that is when he challenged him. But, as was proving to be the point, you can't conquer the 86. The S14 was passed about halfway down the mountain and the gap only widened afterward."

"He is a ghost, isn't he? There's no way someone in an old car is so good."

Ryosuke laughed. "No, he isn't a ghost. He's just a guy who is extremely talented, extensively trained and has an abundance of natural instinct."

"So you know him?" Esme asked.

"Yes."

"Because he's a creation from your imagination?'

"No, he exists."

_Only in your mind, _thought Esme. "Who does he battle next?"

"An Evo4. That was a tough battle. When the 86 is behind you, he can take your speed and make it his. So, you will lose if you are in front. And the Evo4 lost."

Here Ryosuke sighed. "And then came the team leader in his Evo3. He must have goaded the 86 into racing him. The 86's exhaust sounded wrong from the beginning, as if it were enraged about something. It was on the Akagi mountain, one which the 86 had never driven on before, but the Evo3 had practiced several times there. The 86 blew its motor. Because of these circumstances, several people, including the driver of the FD, didn't count it as a loss. They said its record was still undefeatable."

"Aw, the poor 86. What happened to him then?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. First, a quick detour to talk about the RedSuns. The FD defeated the Evo4, and the FC, who had retired after being beaten by the 86, came back from retirement to beat the Evo3. Almost like revenge for messing with the 86."

"But weren't they rivals? From different teams?"

"Yes, but the Emperors, who drove the Evos, were from another prefecture. Gunma united to defeat them. Plus, by this time, they had a high regard for the 86.

"Anyway, the 86 received a new motor. It was even more of a monster than it had been, and his winning streak returned. With the new engine he re-raced the Evo3 on his home course. He defeated an SW20 after that."

"And what then? Did he fall off the face of the planet?" Esme was curious.

"No. He joined a team called Project D. But that's for another time."

"Perhaps tonight? At the hotel?"

"Maybe."


	11. Chapter 11

When they were walking to their room, Esme pounced on him. "Now will you tell me the rest of your story?"

"Why are you so interested?"

She shrugged. "You're a good storyteller, I guess."

"Just add it my impressive list of my talents." Ryosuke paused, setting his luggage down on the floor. "Why don't we take a walk? Before dinner? I'll finish it up then."

Esme glanced at her wristwatch. "How about after dinner, since it's half past five?"

"Okay."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Esme ate her pasta in a slight hurry, wanting dinner to be over and done with. When the waiter asked if they wanted dessert, she declined.

"I'd love some," said Ryosuke.

She lightly kicked him under the table. He just grinned and ordered. So she decided to have something also. She was finished when he was only halfway through.

"Ryosuke, could you _please _pick up the pace?"

"Why?" He looked around. "Is the building on fire?"

"No, but I think my foot is itching to give someone a swift kick about now."

He lowered his voice. "The guy at that table to our left? I know he is obnoxious, but that's no reason to get violent."

Esme gave him a small smile. "I think I'll go to the restroom. You better be done when I come back."

"Take your time," he advised.

In the women's room Esme took a look at herself in the mirror and made some minor adjustments to her hair. She made sure that her clothes were looking good. There was nothing else to do, so she went back to their table.

Ryosuke stood. "Ready?"

"But of course. And you?"

"Sure am. Shall we go on our walk?"

"Why not?"

"I see that you have on proper shoes," he told her when they were out on the sidewalk.

"They're not white loafers, but I think they'll do."

Ryosuke wondered if that was a dig at his attire. Keisuke had teased him about his white pants and leather shoes all the time.

"Aren't you going to tell me the rest of the story?" Esme broke into his thoughts.

"Just a minute."

He stopped, stepping behind her. Esme felt him fiddle with her hair. _I just looked at it in the bathroom, _she thought. _What could be wrong already? _She gave him a quizzical look but he ignored it.

"Okay. Back to the Akina 86. Project D was started by the FC from the RedSuns. He had rethought his plan of defeating everyone in the Kanto region, and instead of using the RedSuns, he just recruited two drivers - the yellow FD and the panda Trueno."

"The panda what? And why do you call the characters by what kind of car they use? To protect the innocent?"

"No, to protect the guilty. Street racing is illegal in Japan, so everyone in the story is guilty of committing a crime. And a panda Trueno is an 86 with pop-up headlights painted black and white." Esme still looked confused. "I'll show you later.

"The 86 was the downhill ace and the FD was the uphill ace. In the first race, against Seven Star Leaf, the 86 beats an MX-5 by passing it over an open gutter."

"You must think I know what you're talking about when really, I have no clue."

"Momiji lane has lidless gutters. The 86 is used to hooking his tire into the gutter, but in this instance, he wouldn't be able to do that, so instead he shifts his weight during cornering to bring almost all the weight to the rear left tire, and that allows the front right tire to hang over the gutter and he drives over what you normally cannot. When the MX-5 tried the same thing, he crashed, because his tire fell into the gutter."

"That's sad. Was he okay?"

"Yeah, he was fine, but he shouldn't have tried something that he hadn't mastered. Street racing can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. That's what I hated the most - those drivers who shouldn't have been on the roads to begin with.

"The FD beat an R34. The next race was against Todo Juku, a racing school. The 86 defeats an EK9, and the FD defeats a DC2. I want to say that DC2 played dirty by hitting his brakes during a straight, making the FD let off the gas and experience turbo lag, but...it's not exactly dirty, but I think that it's low.

"After the school lost, this professional driver who had gone to the school came to battle Project D. They sent out the 86 to take him on. The pro racer used an EK9, also. The 86 was having a hard time, which was understandable, since this was a professional. The EK9 used a disappearing line to overtake the 86. The 86 couldn't overtake him, so he turned off his headlights so that the EK9 didn't see him. He was able to pass him that way, but he the EK9 overtook him again. In the end, the 86 barely won. If that weasel hadn't run out into the road and made the EK9 swerve, he would have lost."

"A weasel? What rotten luck," said Esme.

"It does seem like an unlucky way to get beat. But the 86 had his lights off again at that point, so he hadn't seen it. In fact, he ran over it. The next Project D battle was in Saitama. The 86 easily beat an Altezza. The FD battled against a black FD. The driver of that car had a crush on the driver of the yellow FD."

"Was it a girl? And did he win?" Esme asked.

"Yes to both questions. She came to watch the FD practice on his home course, but he told her that unless she had a specific reason to see him, not to come. She didn't listen very well, which actually was good for him later on.

"The next battle happened in the rain. The 86 went against a Cappuccino, a very light car with amazing cornering abilities. If it hadn't been for the rain, the 86 would have lost. The FD was battling against a supercharged 86. The battle went on for several rounds before the FD passed the 86.

"Perhaps Project D shouldn't have bothered with the Evos," Ryosuke continued. "They didn't have that much skill and they were underhanded. They spilled oil on the road, which caused the FD to crash and ruin its suspension during practice. This is where the black FD comes in. She had come to cheer him on, and he asked her for the loan of her car, which she gave him. He then beat the Evo5. The 86 defeated the Evo6.

"The FD driver took the girl out to show his appreciation for letting him borrow her car. But he told her that a relationship between the two of them wouldn't work, since he needed to focus solely on Project D. I think he made a mistake."

"Do you?" Esme asked, surprised.

"He had plenty of time for a girl. He assumed she would be like other girls he had met who seriously wanted _all _his attention. But she was a racer herself, who understood how important it was to him. He's kind of lonely now.

"Then they raced against two older men from Purple Shadow. The 86 and the S2000 have seven rounds, where the 86 damages its suspension, but the driver of the S2000 stopped so he could…upchuck, and the 86 won a technical victory. He felt like he had lost, though. The FD and R34 raced up and down hill, which was more advantageous for the FD, but it had been requested by the R34 driver. The FD won during the second round.

"And after this, they had some more races, against an Evo7, MX-5, SW20, NSX, and some others. But this is enough for now."

"What? Why?"

"We're back at the hotel."

Esme looked up. "You have a nice imagination, Ryosuke."

"Why do you think I made this up?"

"There is no way that 86 could never lose. It's too unrealistic."

"But he had lost. Against the Evo3."

"But then beat him with a new motor? And he won against a professional? Face it, he's just too invincible."

"Well, he had also lost to an NSX."

"When?"

"After Project D disbanded. The next spring."

"You just made that up," she told him.

"No, it's true."

"Let's go in."


	12. Chapter 12

Esme walked into the bathroom to fix her makeup. She caught a look at herself in the mirror and froze. _What was that in her hair?!_ She took a closer look. Oh, a yellow rose. How did that get there? She thought back and remembered Ryosuke fiddling with her hair. He must have put it in. So was he the one who had given her all those roses. She had suspected it, but this confirmed it. She smiled. Who knew that Ryosuke was a romantic?

She walked into the sitting room. Ryosuke had an open laptop, and he glanced at her when she walked in. "Come over and look at this 86." She sat down next to him. "This is a panda colored Trueno. It has pop-up headlights." He clicked on another photo. "This is a Levin. It's also an 86, but it has different headlights."

"You know, Ryosuke, I don't think that I will ever become an ace in this."

"I don't expect you to be, but if you hang around with me, it'll rub off on you. Watch out."

She looked at him until he turned toward her. She blushed lightly, looked down, and shyly said, "Thanks for the roses."

"I'm glad you like them. I have something else to give you." He stood up and walked into his room.

And his cell phone rang. "Could you get that?" he called.

She looked at it with apprehension, remembering what had happened when Ryosuke had answered her phone. "Hello."

"Anik - who is this?" she heard a young man ask in Japanese.

"Esme."

"Um, where's Ryosuke?"

"Right here," she said as Ryosuke walked through the doorway. She held the phone out. "I think it's you brother."

He took the extended phone with his left hand while holding his right hand behind his back, and leaned against the wall. "Keisuke?"

"Who was that, aniki?"

"A friend."

"Answering your phone? Where are you, anyway?"

"Minsk, Belarus."

"_What _are you _doing _there?"

"I'm on a road rally."

"You? Mr. I-have-everything-planned-down-to-the-last-minute? That wasn't part of your schedule when you flew to London."

"Was there a specific reason you called?" Ryosuke asked his younger, and at this point annoying, brother. He lowered his voice to a barely-there whisper. "I'm in the middle of a romantic gesture."

He heard Keisuke choke on whatever he had been eating. He coughed before croaking, "You're in the middle of a _romantic _gesture?"

Ryosuke scowled. "Have you gone deaf in my absence?"

Keisuke couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. He tried to say something in between gasping for breath and snorting.

"I'll talk to you later," Ryosuke informed him before hanging up and tossing the phone on an empty chair. He walked back to where Esme was scrolling through the pictures on his laptop.

"Hey." He took her hand and pulled her up to her feet. Still holding on to her hand, he brought the rose from behind his back. She was about to take it when she noticed something glittering in the middle of the rose, and gasped.

"Is that-?"

"Don't panic, it's not real." Ryosuke grinned as she gingerly took the silver ring out of the center of the rose and slowly slipped it on her finger. The pink stone sandwiched by what looked like two jades shimmered in the light.

"Thank you." This didn't seem like enough thanks, so she added a small kiss. She then took the rose from his hand. "The ring wasn't bad, either," she giggled.

Ryosuke appreciated that she could joke in this situation. It broke the tension a little and lightened the mood. But he wondered when she was going to notice the small card attached to the stem. She seemed preoccupied with staring into his eyes.

"I think-" she broke off and brought the rose up in front of her. _She noticed._ Ryosuke was relieved. She opened the card then abruptly turned around. Ryosuke caught her around the waist; he was not about to let her leave now. That hadn't been her intent, he realized, when she leaned back into him. He heard her sniffle and realized she was teary.

He drew his arms tighter around her.

"I'm sorry. I'm not one of those girls that cry at everything, I just-" She twisted around to face him. "I've never felt so much for anyone before, and to know you feel that, too, it… well, it's… _nice_. No, it's a lot more than nice."

"You don't have to explain it," Ryosuke stroked her hair. "I know exactly what you're saying."

She was quiet for a while. "Hey," she said, "you're pretty buff."

"Back to normal, huh? Is that all you ever notice?"

"What?!"

"Oh, come on. I saw you check me out when we were swimming."

"Oh, and like you weren't doing the same?"

"It was a two-piece! How do I ignore that?"

"You're pervy."

"'Cause you're so cute."

…

"Well…?"

"Oh, was I supposed to say you're cute too?"

"Am I not?"

"No… you're _hot._"

"Mhhm. You're feeding my ego."

"Oh, it's so big I don't suppose a few more drops would hurt."

Ryosuke grew serious. "Would you ever live in Japan?"

"I would love to live there. It's like a second home to me. Wouldn't it be nice to have a vacation home in England?"

He smiled in reply.

"Do you care that I'm not an expert on cars and I can't drift or anything?" She looked concerned.

"That's not important to me. As long as you realize that it's been a big part of my life."

"I love listening to you talk about cars."

"We've only known each other for eight days. You don't think we're moving a little too fast?"

"Perhaps, but I don't want it to stop."

"I don't want you to feel things that you aren't ready to feel, Esme. I want this to be real, not just emotions."

"I know," she whispered.

He rubbed her arms and kissed her lips softly, saying "Goodnight, Essie."

"Goodnight."

Ryosuke's phone rang right then. He walked over to where he had thrown it on the chair. "Good timing this time," he said to Esme, winking. "Moshi, moshi."

Esme went to her room and got ready for bed. She called her father to fill him in on how she was doing, leaving a lot out. It was the first time she had held back from him, and he seemed to sense that, although he didn't question her.

After hanging up, she took the card that had hung from the rose and reread the words. He had great handwriting, considering that he was a doctor, and it was a joke that theirs were indecipherable.

I'm losing my heart to you.

She had lost hers at the first gaze into his eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

Ryosuke was thankful when they drove into Moscow. This was the end of the journey. Or close to the end. There was a fancy formal being held tonight in the hotel ballroom, which Esme insisted they attend. Her exact words had been "I did not spend a hundred quid on a dress so it can stay crammed in my suitcase. Unless you're willing to pay me double its value?" To which he had almost agreed, but she, seeing that he was in favor of it, withdrew her offer.

He had complained that he didn't have anything to wear. Esme had gaped at him. "All I've seen you wear are dress pants and button-down shirts! I am absolutely certain that you have a suit with you. It'll do." She paused. "What color is your suit?"

He was tempted to say "mud brown", but refrained from lying. "White."

"Perfect. I'll be dressed in celadon."

"What's that?"

She smirked. "Stumped you, didn't I? It's a shade of green."

"I love green," he responded. He gave her a lascivious look. "I'll bet you look good in green."

"Ever since last night, you've changed," Esme observed.

"What can I say? I don't have to keep guessing if you like me or not. I used to assume you would slap me if I tried to show my affection."

"I still can," she retorted.

"But you won't."

"How do you know?"

"You won't dare mar my beauty."

She had looked at Ryosuke, who was fighting back a smile. When she laughed, he joined in. "I can't say that I hate this side of you, but I miss your intellectual demeanor."

"What do you mean? I never stop being intellectual!"

"Wow, that has to be the most colossal hotel we've stayed at on this trip." Esme's voice brought him back to the present. They stood in front of the hotel, hand-in-hand.

"It sure is. Since this is the finale, I guess they decided to pull out all the stops."

"I'm glad I'm getting my money's worth," Esme said.

That made Ryosuke wonder how much she had paid. He had managed to put all the hotel bills on his credit card and pay for gas and most dinners. But he still felt like a cad. Call him old-fashioned or chauvinistic or whatever, but he thought the man should do the paying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Esme glanced at her wristwatch. She was ready and there was over half an hour to squander. She decided to see what Ryosuke was up to.

He wasn't in the sitting area. _I finally am the first to be dressed!_ Then she noticed that he was sitting on a chair on the balcony. She slid open the door and walked up to him. Bending down, she put her arms around him and kissed the nape of his neck.

"Hey."

He turned his head to face hers. "Hi." She kissed his lips. "Take a seat."

He watched her full length dress swirl around her legs as she moved to sit down in the seat opposite him.

"I was right," Ryosuke said, taking in her dress; starting with the wide straps, the v-neck, the clingy satin as it flowed over her curved hips and hung in folds at her feet. He brought his eyes back to the neckline. "It is a good color on you."

"Stop staring at my décolletage," she joked. He looked into her gray eyes and slowly smiled. She stared right back. _He looks yummy, _she decided. The casual white suit contrasted with his black hair nicely. And he was wearing those white loafers she loved!

"What should we do to pass the time?" he asked.

"Play Twister," Esme suggested jokingly.

"Hmm, I don't know that one," he said.

"That's because you're so staid, I doubt you would have played it."

"Are you saying I am dull?"

"If the shoe fits," she started.

"But it doesn't," he butted in.

"I know, it's just so fun to tease you."

Ryosuke looked out over the Moscow skyline. He was thinking about practical stuff again. _We have to find an English/Russian__ or Russian/Japanese__ translator so we can ship the FC to the Russian coastline on the Trans Siberian railway. We have all day tomorrow, so I won't bore __Esme__ with talk of it tonight. But it needs to be done before we fly out the day after tomorrow._

Esme leaned forward in her seat to take his hands, revealing more of her décolletage. She didn't say anything for a while.

"Hey, let's go see Wells and the gang."

"Let's not."

"You loaf." She got up and left anyways. He sighed and followed her out the door and down the hall. Another lovely evening with crazy guys who needed to get real jobs.

"Aaaaah! Esme, you're smokin', girl!" Ryosuke rolled his eyes.

Ryosuke came up to the door. "And you're in your boxers."

"Ha ha. Hey, mate." Wells grabbed his hand in a gangster handshake. "Yeah, sorry about the boxers. Miguel stole my suit. He's holding it hostage in the bar downstairs. I can't have it back unless I go down in my boxers after the dinner starts, so here I am." Wells sat down on the couch to put on his socks. "What a wanker, huh, mate?"

"I'm certain you did something equally stupid to entice him," Esme said from her perch on the unmade bed.

"Hey, mates, we can go to dinner together and you can cover me-"

"Not on your life," Ryosuke interrupted him.

"They don't want to be seen in public with you, Weasel," said Levi, poking his head out of the bathroom where he was fixing his hair.

"There's a spot sticking up in the back, Pants," Ryosuke pointed out to Levi. He naturally called Levi by his nickname, although he had yet to figure out the real story behind it. Esme claimed it had nothing to do with Levi Jeans. When Esme spotted the tuft of hair Ryosuke was talking about she burst out laughing.

"No, leave it!" she gasped as Levi tried to smooth it out. It wouldn't budge.

"Shoot, the wax stuff dried." He raked his fingers through it desperately. Esme pulled Ryosuke down to whisper in his ear.

"I suppose I could tell him if he wets it down, it'll soften up, but this is more fun."

He grinned at her. "You're so cruel." They had another ten minutes of fun until Levi started to comb through it, brining tears to his eyes.

"Just wet it down, Pants." Esme finally pitied him. She turned to Ryosuke. "We'd better get going unless we want Wells following us out. Later, boys!" she called out to them as they exited. "It's never dull with them, even if they are bums."


	14. Chapter 14

The ballroom had tables set up at one end to serve the rallyists dinner. Ryosuke and Esme sat at a table with Miguel and his date, and Levi, who had snagged a Russian girl from somewhere.

"This is Ekaterina," he had introduced her.

"Hello," said the petite brunette. "You call me Katya."

"She doesn't know much English."

"I study some English in school," said Katya. "But I not good."

"No, that is very good," said Esme. "I studied French in school and I cannot remember two words."

"Je m'appelle Ryosuke," said her companion.

She frowned at him. "Shut up."

He grinned. "Don't worry. That's all I know."

"You are English?" asked Katya.

"No, I am Japanese."

"Yaponckiy?"

It sounded enough like _nihon_for Ryosuke to recognize it. "Yes."

Katya asked him questions about Japan while the others quietly talked about plans they had, now that the rally was just about over. After dinner they danced to the seven piece band.

"I wish that they were playing hip-hop or something," said Wells, who had joined them halfway through the meal.

Ava, Miguel's date, looked at him in surprise. "Didn't you know that after this ball ends at midnight there is a party in the lounge?"

"No." He looked confused.

"Should have read the itinerary," said Pants.

"Don't worry, I'm not dragging you there," whispered Esme to Ryosuke.

"My hero," he whispered back.

The formal ball dissipated shortly after ten. Most people were eager to start the "real" party, and some, like Esme and Ryosuke, were just plain tired.

"It's been a long day," Esme said to Ryosuke as they walked out of the ballroom into the hallway. "How on earth did Weasel manage to get his suit back without us noticing? I would have thought I'd hear someone laughing at least." She shook her head.

Ryosuke pushed the button by the elevator and leaned against the wall to wait. "He snuck in with a group from Spain. They were wearing light colored suits, so he blended. And he had those two girls in their ball gowns to cover him the rest of the time."

"Where did they get those Russian girls, I wonder? He and Levi both."

Ryosuke stared up at the ceiling. "I'm too tired to care." He thought about whom he would have to call tomorrow morning to get the car shipped to Tokyo.

Ding! Finally, the elevator. He pushed off the wall, and turned toward the doors. He stared.

"Miguel?" Esme said, looking at the figure standing in the elevator.

Ryosuke stood beside her, taking in the hairy legs, sticking out of the frilly pink dress, and finally, at Miguel's face encased in a blonde wig.

"Punishment." It was all Miguel had to say.

Esme took Ryosuke's hand silently and pulled him into the elevator. She giggled at his still-shocked expression. "I never get used to them, either."

Once they were in their room, Esme ordered tea and sat on the couch for an hour with Ryosuke, watching Russian TV that they couldn't understand a word of.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning Ryosuke had called his contacts and he and Esme spent the morning shipping the FC on the railway. Then they spent the afternoon sightseeing and in the evening they had dinner at a traditional Russian restaurant.

"Sleep tight," Ryosuke told Esme. "It's going to be a bit hectic tomorrow."

"I can't wait to get to Tokyo and see Yukiko! It's been months since we've seen each other."

"Chipper, are you?"

She grinned. "Why not? Just because you're a grouch, doesn't mean I have to be."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Airbus A380 touched ground and jostled a bit, but Esme slept on. Ryosuke gently shook her shoulder. "Wake up, we've landed."

She sleepily opened her eyes. _I can get used to this sight. _"How long does it take to get to Tokyo again?"

"Should take less than an hour if traffic cooperates. I actually have my car stored at airport parking-" here he broke off. "I forgot to pay for the extra week. I hope it's still there."

"The super-organized Ryosuke forgot something as simple as airport parking? Shocking."

Her eyes twinkled with suppressed mirth.

"Do you want to walk to Tokyo?"

"No, but I hear the bus service isn't too shabby."

"If you don't quit teasing me you'll found out exactly how shabby."

They waited until most passengers had disembarked before making their way out of the plane. "Aeroflot isn't bad, but their snacks sucked," said Esme as they strolled down the walkway.

Ryosuke smiled. "Name one airline that has good food."

She shot him a dirty look over her shoulder.

"What say you about dinner?"

She looked at her wristwatch, but didn't remember if she had changed it to Japan time or not. "What time is it?"

"Six."

"Darn. Where'd the day go?"

"Out the airplane window."

She resisted the urge to cuff him. "Dinner sounds great."

They collected their luggage and Ryosuke led the way to his car. He couldn't wait for relaxation and a quick trip up and down Akagi.

Esme stopped and stared at the black sports car. "I thought you said you owned a sensible car. This doesn't look sensible to me."

"It's very sensible. Get in and I'll show you how much so."

She remained rooted where she stood. "That doesn't sound like a good idea. I think I'll take the bus after all."

He took the luggage from her and stowed it in the trunk. Space was tight. "Don't be silly. Get in." He opened up the passenger door.

"What, you're not letting me drive?"

"Not now."

"Ever?" Esme settled herself into the seat.

Ryosuke went around the car and climbed into the familiar surroundings. "Perhaps after you've proved yourself."

"Are you serious?" Incredulity was heard in each syllable.

"After driving your car for a week, I would hope not, or else you'll chew my ear off." Ryosuke yawned silently. "I hate jet lag."

"You should have slept on the plane," Esme responded.

"I did. For half an hour, tops. But those seats weren't very comfortable."

"Neither are yours," she responded.

He grinned. "Never rode in bucket seats before?"

"Bucket. How appropriate. Because that is exactly what it feels I am sitting in." She closed her eyes. "Wake me up when we get to Tokyo." But she never fell asleep.

Ryosuke first stopped beside an upscale restaurant.

"Ryosuke? What are you thinking? I've just got off a plane and I feel like yesterday's garbage. Please find some fast food place where I don't have to worry about my appearance."

She saw him wrinkle his nose slightly. "Are you a snob?" She hadn't thought he was.

"No. But are you?"

"No, why would you think so?"

"Because you just refused to eat in that restaurant."

"I wouldn't have if I felt just a bit better."

He pulled into a Family's restaurant a few minutes later.

"That's more like it."

They ate fairly quickly. Esme was anxious to get to Yukiko's house. It was a pity that she hadn't been able to come on the rally. Well, if she had, then she wouldn't have met Ryosuke… Whatever. Esme stopped that useless train of thought and focused on finishing up her fries.

"You eat your fries with barbecue sauce?"

Esme glanced up. "Yeah. You?"

"I don't usually eat fries."

"Too much cholesterol for you?"

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You're the heart surgeon, remember?"

"Noshing on the occasional fries will not give me a heart attack."

"Yeah, yeah. Hurry up already." She was anxious to see Yukiko.

Ryosuke knew this, so he finished up his dinner as quickly as possible. "All done," he announced. "Let's get going." Esme gave him the address and smirked when he used the QZSS to find the location.

"Nerd."

"Hey. Don't call me names." It was disconcerting how she often used the same words as Keisuke to describe him and his habits. "This GPS is fantastic. It's like a woman in the car with with you, talking and talking and not shutting up. You know, much like a real female."

Esme socked him in his shifting arm. "For a surgeon you're very into computers and technical stuff. I've seen you do some strange programming on your laptop. Which is extremely high-tech, I might add."

"I needed it for medical school. And those were racing simulations," he added.

"Exactly! Why do you need that? You're a doctor."

"But I'm a racing enthusiast at heart." He pulled into a driveway. "We're here."


	15. Chapter 15

Esme was out of the car and at the front door ringing the bell in a flash. By the time Ryosuke had turned the car off and made his way up to the entrance, the door was closed. He rang the bell.

Esme had a chagrined look on her face when she pulled the door open. "I'm sorry! I forgot about you!"

"How comforting," he murmured.

She put her hand on his back and ushered him into the living room. "This is Takahashi Ryosuke." She introduced him to the people sitting on the couches. "My friend Hayashi Yukiko, her parents, and her younger brother Masaki."

"Pleased to meet you." Ryosuke bowed to the parents.

"Pleased to meet you," they repeated.

He turned to Masaki. "Pleased to meet you."

"Ta-ta-Takahashi Ryosuke-San! Pleased to meet you, sir." Masaki's eyes were wide in amazement.

Ryosuke shared a chuckle with Yukiko as he gave her a small bow. He and Esme sat down beside Yukiko, facing her brother and parents.

"Would you like to eat?" asked Mrs.Hayashi.

"We've had supper, but some tea would be great," replied Esme.

Yukiko nudged her friend in her side with her elbow and lifted an eyebrow when Esme looked at her. Esme was confused, so Yukiko signaled with her eyes at Ryosuke.

Esme gave her a look that meant _what_?

"Yummy," mouthed Yukiko.

Esme smiled.

"How was the rally?" asked Yukiko out loud.

"Oh, it was great! I've some great pictures to show you. And souvenirs! You should see what I picked up in Poland." Esme dug in her purse for her digital camera. She turned it on, and heard Ryosuke whisper in her ear. "Are you sure that there aren't any embarrassing photos?"

She looked at him with apprehension. "Not unless you took some."

"Why don't we hook it up to the computer?" suggested Yukiko. "That way we can all see it at once."

Yukiko and Esme worked at setting up the slideshow as Ryosuke chatted with Masaki. "Is that your S13 in the driveway?"

Masaki blushed. "Yeah. My friends and I worked on the engine to get it tuned just right for its maximum natural ability."

The girls were ready to go by the time Mrs.Hayashi brought the tea in. They settled down, with cups of fragrant apple tea in their hands. Yukiko held the remote and started the slideshow. Esme held a running commentary on the pictures. "That's the beginning. You can see the participating cars in the next several photos. I don't know what most of them are, but Ryosuke does. You can ask him if you want." She gave him an impish grin.

Ryosuke obliged, calling out the models as they appeared on screen.

"An NSX!" exclaimed Masaki a few photos later, before Ryosuke. "I love those."

"Ever ridden in one?" asked Ryosuke.

"No," he answered sadly.

"Perhaps I can take you for a drive sometime."

"Really? That'd be sweet!"

They looked through the photos for an hour, with pauses for explanations and anecdotes. There was one photo that made everyone look at Esme and Ryosuke, who shrugged and pretended not to know how it got on the memory card. (Ryosuke hadn't known it was there. He was going to punish Esme for it later. It was of him, sleeping. He was lying on his back, with one arm flung out and the other under his head. He was bare chested. She didn't have the grace to look ashamed when he gave her a sidelong glance.) When the photos of the Moscow ball came up, after the first several came photos of girls. More specifically, parts of girls. A silk-clad thigh here, a bare shoulder there, even a close up of puckered lips, and so on. For about a dozen pictures. Everyone was cracking up as Esme tried to explain.

"I think someone got a hold of our camera."

"Weasel!" Yukiko guessed. "He's the only one pervy enough to actually act on it."

At eight o'clock Ryosuke stood up. "I better get going. I have to find a hotel to spend the night at."

"No, no! You must stay here," Mr.Hayashi told him. "A friend of Esme's is a friend of ours." He sent Esme a teasing look. "He is your friend, isn't he?"

"One of my closest."

Yukiko raised her eyebrows, aware of something her parents weren't - that Esme hadn't known Ryosuke for long.

"Stop with the eyebrow talk," Esme told her when they were in her room.

"Now that we're alone, I don't have to resort to that. So, tell me everything."

"Um, no."

"What?! Why not?"

Esme shrugged. "It's just nice to keep it to myself."

"A few details?" begged Yukiko. Esme held her hand out. "Huh? Oh! Did he-?"

"No, of course not! It's just a friendship ring. But it's a detail." She gazed at the stones and smiled, remembering how he had given her the piece of jewelry.

"Any more details?"

Esme stared out of the window for a minute before answering. "Do you want to know how to tell if someone's just right for you?" She looked back at Yukiko. "It's when you don't want to pick him apart like we did with other guys we met. When you don't want to tell even your best friend every little thing you did together. That's when you know it's serious. So, let's not dissect him, alright, matey?"

Yukiko gasped. "You are in love! I've never seen you like this. It's so exciting! Of course, I'm a little hurt that you don't want to share with me, but maybe I'll understand someday. At least tell me about what our boys did on the road. I have a feeling it might take all night."

"… until someone finally reported him, and he got kicked out of the hotel, still in his dress. We had to sneak him in from the back where the fire escape was. Into our room, of course. And it was so hilarious the next morning, they had Miguel dress up like some kind of movie star, and the rest of the guys dressed in their black suits, and like, padded them with shirts and stuff so they would look buff. The hotel guests that were in the lobby checking out, like Ryosuke and I were, started taking pictures on their cell phones. They probably thought he was famous! I pretended to want his autograph and the body guards threatened me! They-"

The girls were interrupted by a knock on their door. "Esme?" Ryouske called out softly.

"Just a second," Esme called back. Yukiko raised her eyebrows at her again as Esme pulled on her robe. She walked out into the hallway.

Ryosuke was holding his cell phone. "Your dad says your phone is going straight to voicemail."

Esme took the phone from him. "Daddy? I'm sorry, I think the battery ran out…. Yeah, we're fine…. Uh-huh…" She shivered in the cold hallway, and Ryosuke instinctively wrapped her in his arms, warming her against him. He could hear her dad going through the usual spiel of making sure everything was okay. Almost unconsciously he started to nibble on her free ear. It was ticklish and she giggled.

"Esme! That's not funny."

"I'm sorry, Dad, what were you saying?"

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Nothing."

Ryosuke laughed.

"Is that Takahashi?"

"Um, yeah."

"What's he doing?"

"Distracting me," she answered truthfully.

"I know that you're not a teenager anymore, but you still worry me sometimes. And with that guy in the picture... I just don't know."

"Oh, Dad."

"I'm joshing, don't get your knickers in a bunch."

Ryosuke snorted from his colorful use of language.

"Him again? At least he has a sense of humor. Good night to you both."

"Good night, Dad."

"Good night, Phil," Ryosuke called into the phone. Esme snapped the phone shut and looked at him in amazement.

"Since when did you get on a first-name basis?"

"Actually, he still calls me Takahashi."

"You didn't answer the question, _Mister_ Takahashi."

"We've been… chatting."

She giggled. "You mean he's been threatening you all along?"

"Yeah." He laughed and drew her close for a good night kiss. After the kiss was over, he gave no intention of letting her go just yet, and she was happy to lean on him again, her arms gripping his biceps. Firm biceps, she was happy to note.

"We still need to talk about that picture," Ryosuke whispered to her.

"What picture?" she asked innocently.

"You little fox, sneaking into my room while I was sleeping." He tickled her sides.

"And snoring," Esme added.

"No way."

"Uh-huh. Were too."

"We'll settle this later. Get some sleep."


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks for your reviews! And as a sidenote, I know that street racing is illegal in Japan and that if professional drivers do so, they will be suspended, but for the sake of my story, I am going to ignore that. I can indulge in some fantasy, right?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning at the breakfast table Masaki was peppering Ryosuke with more questions. "Do you still have your white FC?"

"No, I blew the motor out and decided to get an NSX."

"No way! But you were the Rotary Brothers. That's not a rotary."

Ryosuke shrugged. "Things change. With Keisuke off in the professional world, and me in medicine, we rarely race together anymore. The Honda is in your driveway if you want to take a look at it."

"Do I!" Masaki tried to finish his breakfast as fast as possible. "After Project D disbanded, I didn't hear anything about you anymore. Only in passing sometimes, when it was mentioned that you were Keisuke's older brother."

"Project D?" asked Esme.

Ryosuke glanced up at her with a smug smile.

"Yeah," said Masaki, explaining further, "That was this racing team that Ryosuke put together with his younger brother and Fujiwara Takumi. They were awesome, beating all these top racers on their home course. Takumi and Keisuke both are in professional racing now." He gave his idol a puzzled look. "What I never understood was why you never raced yourself. You were better than your brother, and I bet better than Fujiwara."

"I was, but I made a decision that when someone would end my unbeatable record, I would stop racing. So I did."

Masaki's jaw dropped open. "Who beat you?"

"Fujiwara Takumi."

"Really? He is good. Wait, when did he beat you?"

"About six months before he joined Project D."

"No way! He must have been only like, eighteen at the time!"

"He was," assured Ryosuke.

"Hold on," butted in Esme. "You were the one in the white FC from the Akagi RedSuns?"

"Guilty as charged."

"You...you...liar."

"Now hold on. I never said that the story wasn't true. You didn't specify that it had to be a fairy tale."

"You never said that it was you, either. You kept going on about the 'driver of the FC' or 'leader of the RedSuns' or whatever."

"I'm sorry."

She turned her back on him and started to talk to Yukiko.

After breakfast, the guys were in the driveway, with Masaki drooling over the modifications in Ryosuke's Honda.

"Hmm," he said to himself. "And this here, and that. Huh. Must be putting out at least 380 horsepower."

"Four hundred ten, actually." Ryosuke looked over at the black S13. "Why don't you show me what you've done to your car?"

Masaki became shy all of a sudden. "Ah, well, it's nothing like what you have…" he trailed off as he popped open the hood.

Ryosuke examined the engine bay and suggested some ideas for performance improvement. "Do you mostly drift?"

"Yeah. Some of my friends are into wangan, but I think that mountain passes are more interesting." He sighed. "And more affordable."

Ryosuke nodded. "How about that drive I promised you?"

Masaki was speechless, but scrambled into the passenger seat in record time. Ryosuke turned to Esme, who had followed him out. "We'll be gone for at least a half hour. But after we come back, how about a drive to the beach?"

"Sure." She had forgiven him for not mentioning that the Akina 86 story was true.

He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll see you." He settled into his seat, and the Honda pulled smoothly away.

"This is so romantic!" gushed Yukiko.

"Oh, shut up," returned Esme softly. "What shall we do until they return?"

"Pack you guys a picnic lunch."

"You really are a romantic."

"Aren't you?" inquired Yukiko. She stared at Esme. "Is Ryosuke ... affectionate?" she asked hesitantly.

Esme laughed, remembering the roses. "Sure is."

By the time the boys returned, the picnic basket was packed (Yukiko had insisted) and Esme had a change of clothes ready.

"Just give me a couple minutes," said Ryosuke as he made his way to the room where he had spent the night.

"Does he look good in swim trunks?" asked Yukiko. "Those racing magazines never showed him without a shirt. And it was always buttoned up, too."

"Yukiko!" Esme was scandalized. "Go find yourself your own guy and stop drooling over mine."

"I wonder if his brother is available," she mused.

"Whose brother?" queried Ryosuke, carrying a bag in his left and.

"Yours," answered Esme wickedly.

"I'm not sure, but I can find out for you."

"Don't bother, because Esme is just teasing." Yukiko sent her friend a cross look.

"Shall we go, Ryo?" asked Esme.

"Sure. We'll see you guys later." They waved goodbye to the Hayashis.

Esme tried to find a decent radio station, but couldn't figure out how to use the stereo system. "Ryosuke, could you please help me out here?" she finally asked.

"Sure." He pressed a few buttons and Eurobeat filled the car.

_Love, love shining _

_Love me, honey, __honey_

"Nice lyrics."

"Yeah. They remind me of my brother."

Esme gazed at Ryosuke with mock fear. "Don't tell me that you like him _that way_."

He laughed. "No. I meant that it reminds me of his relationships."

"Weird."

"I know. So don't tell anyone I said that."

"Next you'll be naming your car or something."

"Her name is Bertha."

She grimaced. "That's an awful name."

"What would you name your car?"

She gave it some serious thought. "Hunter."

"Oh? And what would he hunt?"

"Road kill." They kept up this banter until they reached the beach. Stepping out of his car, Ryosuke was startled to hear someone call his name. He glanced to his right. Was that Fujiwara?

"Ryosuke." His protégé stared past him with a look of puzzlement.

"Hey, Fujiwara. Out enjoying the beach?" He could see a girl leaning against the car behind Takumi. "With a lady friend?"

"Uh." He kept staring at the NSX. "Is that your car?"

"Yes. The Comet blew her engine."

Esme had gotten out of the car and come around to stand next to Ryosuke. "Hi, I'm Esme." She said in Japanese as she put her hand out to Takumi.

"Fujiwara Takumi," he answered, taking her hand.

"Takumi? Oh, it's so great to finally meet you. Ryosuke told me about Project D, and I just found out that it was a true story when I was thinking all along that he had just made it up. You're a fantastic driver, from what I know."

Takumi blushed. "Oh, I'm not that good." He looked at the NSX again. Suddenly, a look of realization flashed on his face. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"Me?" Ryosuke was confused.

"Who passed me that night on Akina? I'm pretty sure I recognize your car."

Ryosuke remembered that incident with perfect clarity. "Yes, it was."

Takumi relaxed. "I'm glad, in a way. I'm not sure how I would have felt if it had been someone else. And it's good that we had another chance to battle. I always thought that our first race was unfair."

Ryosuke laughed. "In what way? You won fair and square."

"No," Takumi frowned. "It never really felt like that to me. After you took me for a drive in your FC that one day before the race against Tomo, I doubted my worth to the team. You are so much better than I am, and-"

Ryosuke cut him off. "No, I'm not. That's why you're the professional, not me. You do not still doubt yourself, do you?"

Takumi blushed again. "Well, no." It didn't sound convincing.

"How about we have another battle? Tonight, after we're finished swimming."

Takumi gaped at him. "You're going to go swimming?"

Ryosuke wore a puzzled frown. "Yes, this is a beach, after all. What are you doing here?"

"Swimming." Suddenly he whipped his head around. "Oh, Mika. Sorry." Mika came closer to them and Takumi turned back to Ryosuke. "This is my girlfriend, Mika."

She bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. And this is my girlfriend, Esme," Ryosuke explained to Mika.

"Hello." Esme smiled warmly at Mika, who smiled back.

Takumi was in even more shock. Did Ryosuke just say Esme was his _girlfriend_?

"Still have the same cell phone number?" asked Ryosuke.

"Yes."

"Then I'll give you a call tonight and we'll race on a nearby mountain." He paused. "Unless you'd rather be somewhere more familiar?"

Takumi blushed yet again. "I'm well acquainted with the mountain passes around here."

Ryosuke grinned. "So am I. I look forward to this."

They went their separate ways. Esme pounced on him when they hit the sand. "Tell me all about it."

"About what?"

"That race! With your NSX on Akina!"

"Okay. Let me settle down first." He put his towel down in an empty place and sat down. "I had just gotten my NSX a few weeks before. Most of the modifications were finished. I decided to forgo practicing on my home course that night, since the RedSuns were there. So I went to nearby Akina. I saw Takumi come out of a hotel and climb into a blue Imprezza. Since I had never seen him in anything besides the 86, I was curious to see how he would perform, so I followed him down the mountain. He started to drive faster and more aggressively when he realized someone was chasing him. It quickly escalated into a battle. We switched positions several times, but at the bottom of the mountain, I was in the lead." Ryosuke shrugged. "I never told him that it was me, and since we hadn't been in contact much since Project D ended, he didn't know what I drove and couldn't make the connection. I wonder if he drives that Fairlady Z now."

Esme squealed. "This is so interesting! I get to see you battle!"

"Don't get too excited. I will lose."


	17. Chapter 17

I don't know much about racing, so my apologies in advance about the battle scene.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Esme was half asleep on her towel when she felt the shock of cold water hit her back. She jumped up with a little scream. Ryosuke was standing there, grinning, with a plastic bucket in his hand, which he handed to a boy of about seven. "Thanks, kid." Then he took off running toward the surf when Esme shot him a look of pure venom and gave chase. She finally caught up and tackled him into the waves. Both of them went underwater, and came up sputtering and coughing.

"Ryosuke!" She glared at him.

"That was payback for that picture you took of me in my undress."

"You weren't in your undress! The sheet covered half your body!"

"But I could have been naked underneath!"

"But you weren't, so get over it."

He stared at her, water dripping from his eyelashes and running down his cheeks. And, lower down, on his pecs. Why did he have to look so hot? She was mad at him. Suddenly he snatched her around the waist and planted a kiss on her wet lips. "Let's have lunch."

"Okay." They walked back to their blankets, and Esme tied a sarong around her middle while Ryosuke opened up the picnic basket.

"What's in here?" asked Ryosuke.

"I don't know, since Yukiko packed most of it." _But l __hope__ it's not aphrodisiacs. _

There were chips, granola bars, cheese and crackers, fruit, and cans of tea. Nothing too filling; more like a light snack to carry them over.

"I think I will need another meal after this one is over," said Esme.

"I know just the place," Ryosuke responded. "Quiet, dimly lit." He leaned over until his

nose almost touched hers. "Romantic."

"How's the food?" asked Esme.

He smiled. "Fantastic."

"I'm game."

After they ate they stretched themselves out on towels and got some sun. Esme peeked at Ryosuke from under her hair. He was definitely different from the man she had met in

London. That man was silent, unreadable, and staid. Ryosuke now was fun to be around with.

He laughed and was spontaneous. And charming! Although a bit of the old Ryosuke had crept back when he had talked to Takumi. She wondered why. With their history, she thought it would have been the opposite.

Just when she might have been drifting off, her cell phone rang. Had she always had so many calls per day? She couldn't remember.

"Hello." Her voice was a bit low and raspy from drowsiness.

"Am I interrupting something?" asked a familiar, impish voice.

"Yes, you were, Perry."

"Like what?"

"I don't kiss and tell."

"Esme!"

She rolled her eyes. Why was everyone so willing to believe the worst of her? "Oh, okay. I was in the middle of an orgy."

All she heard next were several incomprehensible sounds. Then, "I am getting on the next plane to Tokyo!"

"You want in on the action?" she innocently asked.

There was silence. "You're just pulling my leg, right?"

"Come on, Perry! Since when have you known me to be a wild girl?"

"Ever since you went on this rally with a complete stranger!"

Esme grinned at Ryosuke, who had kept a lazy eye on her since the start of the conversation. "My family thinks you're a bad influence."

"Then please correct them. You are the one who threw yourself at me."

"You did what?!" came her brother's voice over the phone.

"I just said I did not. And don't butt into my conversation."

"Whatdaya mean, your conversation? I called you!"

"Oh, yes. Did you want something?"

"I just wanted to give you a heads up on this week's episode of Top Gear. As usual, you'll find the car reviews quite boring, but they have got a challenge."

"No way! I love those! What's it about?"

"I can't tell you much. As I said, it's a heads up, not a full, in-depth look. Just be sure and watch. And don't be drinking anything when the Hamster is in the blue —."

"Yes, yes?"

"Bye!" he called and hung up.

"Argh! He's always like this. When will I learn?" Esme squeezed the phone in her frustration.

Ryosuke pried it from her fingers. "Everything okay?"

"Just my brother being his annoying self."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They came back to the Hayashis' place after having a late lunch at the restaurant Ryosuke had suggested. The evening Esme spent with Yukiko, while Ryosuke was holed up in the guest bedroom with his trusty laptop. After Ryosuke had a short conversation with Takumi on his cell phone, they left for a nearby mountain. .

"It will be a private battle, so you will be the only observer, unless Takumi brings someone."

"Could I _please_ be in your passenger seat?"

Ryosuke gave it some serious thought. "I would let you, but then Fujiwara will think I lost because I have more weight in the car, and not because he's the better driver."

"Oh." She didn't let her disappointment show, but focused on the scenery flying by the window. "It's quite foggy. Will you guys still race?"

"I think so. Fog won't scare Fujiwara. In fact, it's advantageous for him. He remembers the curves of the road, plus has an instinct for the mountain passes."

"So you are one hundred percent certain that you will lose?"

That gave Ryosuke pause. "Yes," he answered at last. "It's been too many years since I've raced, and he has been under the tutelage of the best minds in Japan. I have no chance unless he makes a colossal mistake."

They arrived at the base of the mountain, and saw the same white Nissan 300ZX that Mika had been leaning against at the beach. Takumi got out before the NSX had come to a complete stop.

"Four wheel steering?" asked Ryosuke as he opened his door.

Takumi gave his familiar shrug. "It's different. I'm still trying to find a car I really enjoy." He glanced at the road, which curved up in front of him before being obscured by the thick fog. "I was thinking that we could do an up and downhill race?"

"Works for me," replied Ryosuke. He could feel his adrenaline level begin to rise.

"I've set up a cone at the peak."

Ryosuke nodded. "Listen, Esme has never seen a battle, and she would like to ride in the passenger seat. Would you be okay with that?"

Takumi thought for a quick moment before agreeing. "Perhaps Mika would like to ride as well."

Ryosuke smiled Takumi walked around the car to talk to his girlfriend. He still had his integrity and honor._ If I have extra weight, so must he._

"Yes!" He could feel Esme's arms around his waist. "This is gonna be exciting!"

He smiled. "Get in and buckle up. And above all, do not scream."

"Scream?" She asked him as she fastened her harness. "What do you think I am, a girl?"

But as they lined up nose to nose with the Nissan, she felt a sliver of fear run down her spine. These two were about to race up the mountain at high speed in thick fog. What had she been thinking?! She should get out while she could! But the Honda took off, pinning her to the seat. She concentrated on not bothering Ryosuke.

In the first corner Ryosuke took the lead. "Sly fox," he muttered under his breath. "Then again, he learned from me."

The G-forces drew her to the left and right as the corners came fast and unpredictable. The screaming of the tires as they slid over the pavement pounded in her ears. She was petrified. Every time they approached a bend she was sure they were going to crash into the guardrail. But they never did. Yet her fear did not ease up.

Ryosuke concentrated on the road. The last time he had physically been on this pass was over two years ago. He had looked at a map and video on his laptop before coming out tonight, so the straights and turns were pretty fresh in his mind. Fujiwara wasn't giving it his all. Was he waiting for the downhill, his specialty?

In just a few minutes they reached the top and spun around, launching their cars down the road. Fujiwara got more aggressive and daring, braking later and getting within centimeters of the guard rail.

"I wish he'd pass me," said Ryosuke. "I love to watch him from behind."

Esme let out a giggle.

"Get your mind out of the gutter."

They were at the last sections of turns before Fujiwara made his move. One minute he was behind, and in the next he had pulled up alongside the NSX. _So he has perfected the disappearing line. Now he doesn't have to turn off his headlights to overtake._ It didn't take much for Fujiwara to gain length on his earlier mentor. At the base of the mountain, he was in front. He slowed down drastically until the NSX was in front again.

In one final display of flash, Ryosuke pulled the car around and stopped, surprised to see Fujiwara pull off the same feat and come to a halt a mere foot away. He looked over at Esme. "You okay?"

"I might need mouth to mouth resuscitation," she murmured weakly.

Ryosuke kissed her tenderly. "Was it that bad?"

"You could have prepared me. I think that my heart skipped a beat every time you took a corner."

"At least now you know what it's all about."

"No, now I'm more confused than ever. You _like_ to face death?"

He laughed. "It's not death. I had the car under my control at all times."

"You can think so if it makes you feel better." She fumbled with her seatbelt, but her fingers were numb and unresponsive.

"Here, let me help." He quickly unbuckled the harness and she stood up, steadying herself against the door. In the light of the lamp he could see that she was pale. "You'll have to let go. Since Fujiwara is blocking my door, I have to pull up a bit."

With a fragile smile she shut her door and stepped back. The Honda rolled a few yards away.

Mika opened her door and joined Esme. "Are you as weak-kneed as I am?"

Esme nodded. "I had no idea that it would be so terrifying."

"Takumi doesn't look so extreme when he's on the professional circuit. I have had a taste of his driving skills first-hand, though."

"I didn't have any warning of what I had gotten myself into. Well, I guess I had a hint." She remembered how Ryosuke had drifted around the Volkswagen.

The guys joined them.

"Fair and square. I don't want to hear anymore about you not being good." Ryosuke leveled a serious look on him.

"Okay. But the fog-"

"Fujiwara! What do you not understand about fair and square?"

"Nothing. I got it."

"Good. Because I've raced in fog. And I've had passengers before."

Takumi nodded. "When you were following my race with Nakazato."

"Esme, we have to get a move on. I need to drive home tonight." They said their goodbyes and got in their separate vehicles. "I will be gone for three days," said Ryosuke as he turned left onto a main street. "I'll be back on Saturday so we can pick up my car and then we're going to Keisuke's race."

She yawned. "Okay. I think I've had enough excitement for today."

"Did you? I wanted to pull over at the make-out spot and neck."

Esme's ears warmed up and she hoped that Ryosuke couldn't see them in the dark interior of the car. "Like a pair of hot-headed teenagers?"

"Aw, come on. We're not that old."

"It's not age that I'm worried about. I'm not an exhibitionist."

"It's dark out. We'll be in the car. And around here, no one will recognize it."

"You know I want your hot bod."

"It's settled then." Ryosuke pulled into a lookout point and yanked on the emergency brake. Then he unclipped his seatbelt and twisted around to face Esme. "Good thing this car is tight on space."

"Do you expect me to fling myself into your arms or something?" she asked.

"For starters," he replied.


	18. Chapter 18

Keisuke turned his FD gracefully onto the paved shoulder. "There's this great view of the Tokyo skyline from here," he told his companion.

"Looks like we're not the only ones out enjoying the vista." She nodded in the direction of a black NSX.

Keisuke glanced at it briefly, uninterested, then swung his gaze abruptly back. It looked familiar. But it couldn't be. "If only I could make out the license plate," he murmured out loud, squinting into the foggy blackness.

"Why, do you recognize it?" She peered intently and read off the number.

"I can't believe it." Keisuke opened his door. "Excuse me for a minute." He walked up to the car, and confirmed that the number was the same as his brother's. Then he rapped smartly on the driver's window.

Inside the vehicle, Ryosuke and Esme hurriedly sprang away from each other.

"I wonder who that is," muttered Ryosuke, annoyed. He buzzed down his window.

"Well, well, aniki."

Ryosuke was astonished to see his brother, but hid it nicely. "Keisuke." His voice was clipped.

"Nature's amazing, isn't it, aniki? Not only is there fog outside, there's fog on the inside of your window as well."

"Your point being?"

"What have you been doing?"

At this moment Esme opened her door and got out. "Hello."

Keisuke turned toward her. "Um, hello." He had supposed that Ryosuyke had a girl in there with him when he had caught sight of the windows, but to actually see one was astonishing.

"I'm Esme Jace."

"Takahashi Keisuke," he replied.

"It's nice to meet you. And, I would also like to meet your date."

"My date?" he asked, confused.

"Or did you really come out here to observe Tokyo with all its twinkling lights?"

Ryosuke bit back a smile.

Keisuke found his tongue. "We did."

"Rubbish," was Esme's first reply. Then she composed herself. "All the same, may I meet her? Or him, perhaps."

Keisuke walked back to his FD and opened the passenger door. "It's my brother. And his date wants to meet you." They walked back together.

"This is Iwase Kyoko."

"And this is Esme Jace," replied Ryosuke, who had gotten out of the car and was standing beside Esme.

The girls shook hands.

"How are you doing, Kyoko?" asked Ryosuke.

"Fine, thank you."

"Still have your FD?"

"Yes, but it's almost reached its limit. I'm thinking of buying something newer. Perhaps with four wheel drive."

"The NSX doesn't have four wheel drive, but it's quite nice. I've just battled with it only half an hour ago."

"If you get anything but a rotary I won't talk to you again," threatened Keisuke. Then his brother's words caught up to him. "With who, aniki?"

"With whom."

"Stop with the grammar lesson."

"Fujiwara."

"Him? I race him regularly. No big deal."

"It wouldn't be if you won more often." Keisuke scowled. "And pay no attention to my brother. I didn't buy a rotary after mine gave out and he still talks to me."

"That's because we're related. I can't do anything about that."

Ryosuke changed the subject. "You have interrupted my date, but that's okay because we need to leave now."

"You should thank me. If you had generated any more steam, your windshield would have blown!"

Ryosuke ignored him and opened the door for Esme. "I'll see you at your race this Saturday," he called out through his open window before pulling away.

"That bugger." Keisuke kicked the guard rail. "He's ruined the night for me. I think I'll take you home." They drove in silence to her apartment.

"Will you be at the race this weekend?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I'll call you, then. See you this Saturday."

"Bye." Kyoko stared after him, wondering if his sour mood would last long.

Ryosuke brushed a lock of Esme's hair behind her ear. "I need to leave. And you should go inside before the Hayashis flicker the porch lights or something."

"Okay. When will you pick me up on Saturday?"

"Eight in the morning. We need to have the car before Keisuke's race starts."

"Until then." She opened her door and got out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Esme was on pins and needles. The past three days had been strange. She was used to seeing Ryosuke within minutes of waking up. It was finally Saturday morning and he was due anytime now.

"Don't you look eager?" teased Yukiko.

"Of course. I miss my car."

"It's his car now. And I know that that's not what you're so eager to see. Or, accurately, who."

"You're right. I've missed him a lot. More than I thought possible."

Yukiko put her arms around Esme's shoulders. "You don't have to wait any longer to see him. He's pulling into the driveway."

Esme broke away and shot to the window to have a look. "He is. I better go. I'll see you tonight." She flung open the door and ran down the steps.

_Eager,_ thought Yukiko. _Very eager._

Ryosuke didn't have time to open his door, let alone Esme's, before she was sitting in his passenger seat.

"Let's go," she said, planting a quick kiss on his lips.

"I missed you," he said softly.

Her heart squeezed, hearing the affection in his voice. "Me, too."

He smoothly engaged the clutch and they started on their journey to the sea port to pick up the FC. It took a bit over two hours. When they arrived, Ryosuke had to fill out stacks of paperwork before they gave him possession of his vehicle.

He held out the key to his Honda. "Why don't you drive the NSX to Keisuke's race?"

"How generous of you," she said, clutching the key in her hand. "It's not as if you couldn't drive both."

"Stop ragging on me. I really do trust you."

"Perhaps you'd like to speak to my insurance company? To see how many accidents I've been in?"

"That won't be necessary, even though you have run over some art project before. We have to go. I want to be on time for the start of the race."


	19. Chapter 19

Writer's block! Please forgive me. There won't be an update for quite a while after this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryosuke and Esme had good seats in the stands. Not many people were sitting nearby. The day was starting to warm up, but it wasn't unbearable yet. And they still had a few minutes before the start.

"Have you ever been to a race before?" asked Ryosuke.

"Yes. Some British 24 hour thing. My brother Perry is a cameraman on Top Gear, and he mentioned that they were going to enter, and, being a fan, I decided to go watch. Not that I know much about cars, but they're funny. I especially like Hammond."

"Does your brother know the identity of the Stig?" Ryosuke asked.

Esme gave him a startled look.

"I'm a fan, also," he explained.

"I've asked him several times, and he says he has no idea. I think that even if he did know, he wouldn't tell me."

"Too bad. I've always been curious."

"Me. too."

"Look. They're lining up."

"Do you know which position Keisuke's in?"

"Hm. His qualifying round put him at number…I'm afraid I don't know right now." Ryosuke tried to think back to the information that had flashed on his PDA screen a while back.

"Fourth," said a voice behind him. They turned in unison to see Kyoko. She blushed slightly. "Hi. Do you mind if I join you?"

"I'd love it. Come, sit by me," Esme invited.

"Thanks." She settled herself in. "And Takumi is third."

"I knew he was going to be big, but it must eat Keisuke up to be bested by him," Ryosuke mused.

"So who's better?" asked Esme.

"I'm not sure how to compare them. When they were in Project D, Fujiwara was the downhill ace while Keisuke was the uphill one. Keisuke had competed in autocross and circuit racing, but Fujiwara grew up on the streets. Now, they compete against each other in these Grand Touring Championships. It's true that Fujiwara usually beats Keisuke two wins to one. But their times are so close. I wish that they could put away their differences and instead, learn from each other. It would help both of them out."

"But weren't they teammates? In Project D?"

"Yes, but Keisuke considered him his ultimate rival."

"I'm curious. When did Keisuke actually beat you for the first time?"

Ryosuke hung his head. "It was after he had been in professional racing for two years."

Kyoko looked shocked by this. "That long?"

"Yeah. He told me that since Fujiwara defeated me when he was only eighteen, and he was twenty-four when he did so, that made him slow."

"Did you tell him about that night between you and the Subaru?" asked Esme.

"Yes. It's true that I could have beaten Fujiwara if I had wanted to. But once I made the decision to stop racing actively, I kept to it. So," he changed the subject, asking Kyoko, "How long have you and Keisuke been together?"

"We bumped into each other about two weeks ago."

"How is he balancing a relationship and his racing career?"

She gazed off at the track. "Pretty well."

"May we join you?" asked a voice familiar to Ryosuke.

He turned around. "Matsumoto! Of course. Make yourself comfortable." As they were sitting down, he noticed the little boy. "And you brought your son. How are you, Kaemon?" he asked.

"I'm good, Takahashi-san," replied the toddler. He glanced down at the track. "Look at that Toyota Celica! It's so fast!"

Ryosuke raised an eyebrow in Matsumoto's direction, who groaned. "It's not really my fault. He likes to hang around at the shop. And what do the mechanics teach him but automotive stuff?"

"It could be worse," replied Ryosuke.

"And it could be better. My wife is not as amused as those grease monkeys who work for me."

"How's business?"

"Really good. I do believe that working for Project D - the undefeated champions of the mountain passes - helped to advertise my skills better than anything else could have. Thanks for that, by the way."

"The reason I chose you was because you were the best."

"I hope that Miyaguchi doesn't find out you ever said so."

Ryosuke smiled. "He was perfect for tuning the FD, and you were perfect for the 86."

"Didn't trust anyone with your precious FC, did you?" He shook his head. "I just can't picture you dirtying your hands, though."

Esme choked on the sip of tea she had just taken. Ryosuke gave her an assessing look before asking her if she was okay. "I'm fine," she gasped. "Went down the wrong tube." She coughed to clear her throat. "Are you saying that Ryosuke wouldn't fix his own car because he doesn't want to dirty his hands?"

Matsumoto gaped at Esme, not knowing that she was acquainted with Ryosuke. "I'm not saying that he wouldn't, just that I can't picture it. I've never seen it."

"Well, I have. He fixed my Mazda." She bit her lip gently in quiet concentration. "Come to think of it, I don't believe his hands were dirty."

Ryosuke smirked. "I had been wearing gloves. And I'm sorry for not introducing you guys. Esme, this is my friend and former Project D mechanic, Shuichi Matsumoto. Matsumoto, this is my girlfriend, Esme Jace. And this is Kyoko. Do you remember her from the race in Saitama?"

"You had the black FD, correct?" Matsumoto asked.

She nodded. "That's right."

"Look! It's Keisuke-san!" interrupted Kaemon. He pointed to where the yellow super car was taking its first lap around the track.

"How come he's plain Keisuke and I'm Takahashi?" grumbled Ryosuke quietly.

Matsumoto laughed. "You have a presence. Keisuke's just...so down-to-earth. He likes to toss the little guy in the air. You shake his hand. Or you bow."

Ryosuke smiled ruefully. Then he glanced around. "A few more people and we could have our old gang back."

"Kenta is around somewhere. He never misses any of Keisuke's races."

"Still hasn't gotten over his hero worship, huh?"

"Not really. But luckily, he has learned a lot from him and became better. Want me to give him a call?"

"Please. I think I'll phone Fumihiro and see if he's here."

In a several minutes, almost all the former Project D members were sitting together in the grandstands. Only the aces themselves and Miyaguchi, the FD mechanic, were not there. He had been hired by the Hoshiya Racing Team to keep Keisuke's race car in tip-top condition, and was in the pits.

"I hope Keisuke creams Takumi today," said Kenta.

Ryosuke couldn't keep the slight smile off his face. Kenta hadn't changed a bit.

"I, for one, am rooting for Takumi," replied Matsumoto.

"You would," was the sour reply.

"Don't argue," said Ryosuke, trying to keep the peace. "They're both good."

Kenta stared at him. "But Keisuke's your brother. Don't you want him to win?"

"Sure I do."

They settled in to await the long hours ahead. Kaemon kept up his running monologue on the make and model of cars that lapped the track. This amused the grownups for hours. They took a quick break for lunch, but were back watching in record time. Ryosuke was periodically updating everyone with the data that he received on his PDA.

Esme leaned close to him and whispered in English, in case anyone happened to overhear. "Where I come from, PDA stands for public display of affection, not some gizmo thing that you can't seem to live without."

"Are you telling me something? Like how you feel neglected?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nope. As I've mentioned, I'm not into that sort of thing."

"And I bet that incident with Keisuke only enforced that decision?"

"Of course. You and your lousy predictions. 'No one will recognize us here.' Yeah, right."

"Keisuke lives about an hour and a half away by car. Well, the way he drives it'd probably take half the time. Anyways, how was I to know that he would show up?"

She grinned at him. "You were supposed to use your superior analyzing skills."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "The more time you spend with my friends, the more worried I become."

"Because they'll tell me about every flaw in your character?" She gave him a hug around the shoulders. "Don't worry. I'm in too deep."


	20. Chapter 20

Like I mentioned earlier, I know nothing about cars or racing. So I made all this up out of my head. If this isn't anything like what happens during a race, I'm sorry.

I know this is a short update, but I am leaving for Russia (no, not a road race; I'll be flying) and I won't be back for over two months. I wanted to write a little something before I left. Hopefully the vacation will put ideas into my head (although I only have a chapter or two left before I finish the story).

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was down to the last few minutes of the race. Five cars were vying for the first three positions, with Keisuke and Takumi among them. The group in the bleachers was keyed up, following the action on the track closely. But they were mostly quiet as they watched the cars try to overtake opponents to up their position.

Fumihiro could hear Kenta saying "Come on, Keisuke-san! You can do it!" under his breath. Esme had a hold on Ryosuke's arm. Kyoko was gently biting her lip with worry. Even Kaemon was silent with expectation as the flashy supercars passed by. Only Ryosuke seemed unperturbed.

For the moment, Takumi had the lead. But Keisuke was steadily closing in. And the drivers immediately behind him were doing all they could to pass him. In the second to last corner, Keisuke's car crept up to Takumi's, so that they were side by side. The two former aces of Project D reheated their rivalry and battled for the remaining few seconds of the race. They flew out of the last corner, each intent on gaining on the other. As the group in the bleachers looked on with baited breath, Keisuke's car slowly inched ahead of Takumi's and he crossed the finish line first.

"Yeah, Keisuke-san!" shrieked Kenta, jumping up and down on his seat.

Kyoko smiled, and reached into her bag for her cell phone. She quickly sent Keisuke a congratulatory message.

Ryosuke waited until after the award ceremony before approaching Keisuke's pit with Esme in tow. They spotted a sweaty Keisuke leaning against his yellow FD. Ryosuke walked up to him and quietly said, "Congratulations, ototo."

Keisuke gave him a sincere smile. "Thanks. I've avenged you."

"What?" asked a confused Ryosuke.

"You know. You lost earlier this week against Takumi. I avenged you."

Ryosuke laughed. "Keisuke, that was nothing. I've told you many times that I'm not the legendary street racer anymore. You need to forget about it."

Keisuke considered punching something in his frustration, but thought better of it. "I can't, aniki. You were always someone I aspired to be. Hearing you say that you have put racing completely behind you, that I'm much better than you ever were, it's –"

"It's the truth," interrupted Ryosuke.

His brother sighed deeply. "I'll try to remember that."

It amused Ryosuke that his formerly arrogant sibling was so modest now.

Kyoko hesitantly came into the pit area. "Hi, Keisuke," she greeted him.

Ryosuke watched the way Keisuke's eyes lit up when he saw her. "Esme and I will be heading out now," he told his brother, feeling it was best to leave the two to themselves. "I'll see you later."

"Won't you go out to dinner with us?" Keisuke asked.

Ryosuke shook his head. "I have two cars. We need to drive them to my apartment by tonight. Sorry."

"Two cars? Which ones?"

"My Honda and a black FC."

"Since when have you got an FC?"

"I bought it off Esme."

"We're gonna be the rotary brothers again!"

"No. I told you, I don't race anymore."

Keisuke was puzzled. "Then why did you buy it?"

Ryosuke shrugged. "I missed it."

Keisuke smirked. "You shouldn't have raced me that last time. Your old car couldn't take it anymore."

"I knew the engine was going to blow. Don't insult my intelligence."

"Don't be so sensitive."

Ryosuke felt like shaking his head. "We'll be going now."

He and Esme headed out to the car lot, where Ryosuke handed her the keys to the FC. "If you don't mind."

She took them and climbed behind the wheel. "Let's head out right away. I'm tired."

"Sure." He got in the NSX and soon they were on the highway, heading to his place in Gunma prefecture.


	21. Chapter 21

I'm back! This is the last chapter. I hope it's not too abrupt.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A couple hours later Ryosuke pulled into his driveway and got out of his car, inconspicuously stretching his tall frame to get the kinks out. He watched as Esme shut off the engine to the FD and climbed out as well. He hoped that everything would go as he had planned. Though people often remarked that he was so calm and confident, at this moment his insides were twisting up with anxiety.

"Let's go inside," he invited. After he unlocked the door with just a tad bit of fumbling that he trusted wasn't noticeable, they went indoors.

Esme looked around his home and admired the simple beauty of it. "I love your place. It's very tasteful."

Ryosuke grinned. "I can't take credit for that. I had an interior decorator come in and fix the place up after I bought it."

"You did give her some input, didn't you?"

"Of course. I actually didn't okay her first two choices for the study. Let's go upstairs. I'll carry your suitcase."

Esme hesitated. "Um, I forgot it."

"What were you busy thinking of that made you forget your luggage?" he asked slyly.

She shrugged. "I have no idea how it escaped my mind."

"That's okay. We'll make a quick trip to the store after we have dinner."

"Ooh, are you going to make something?"

"So you think that I can cook?"

"You can't?"

He gave her an enigmatic smile. "Are you hungry?" He was busy thinking how to go on next. This was an unexpected glitch in his plans.

"Yes, I am."

"Then let's order in."

Esme laughed. "So you're saying that you can't cook."

"Frankly, I started learning after I moved out on my own. I'm not good enough yet to treat you to my creations."

"I see."

"What do you feel like having?" Ryosuke asked, walking into the kitchen and opening up a cupboard.

"Hm. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure."

He handed her several take-out menus. "Have a look."

She flipped through them and showed him one. "Let's order something from here."

"Sure." They put their heads together and decided on dinner, after which Ryosuke called and placed an order. "It'll be here in half an hour," he said, hanging up. "I'll set the table in the meantime." He got busy opening cupboards and carrying things to the table.

Esme picked up one of the plates and admired it. "I really like this." She peeked over the edge of it to meet Ryosuke's eyes. "Another wonder from your fabulous decorator?"

He laughed. "It's from my mother, actually. A house warming gift."

"She's got great taste," she replied, setting it back down. She looked over the table, taking in how Ryosuke had precisely set down each dish. A perfectionist at heart.

"All finished. Let's go relax in the living room until the food gets here."

"Okay." She followed him into the next room and sat down beside him when he patted the cushion, inviting her to make herself comfortable.

Ryosuke gazed deep into her eyes, reading every thought that was reflected in them. Although it was too late to change his mind now, he wanted to double check to make sure that he was making the right decision. She stared back at him with open, honest affection. They sat in a comfortable silence until the doorbell rang.

"Must be the food," Ryosuke said, getting up and walking into the foyer.

Esme took a deep breath. Looking into his eyes like that had been intense. The raw emotion that she had seen slightly frightened her, and she almost thought about telling him that she had changed her mind and was going to spend the night in a hotel.

"Come, Esme, let's eat," his voice called to her.

She walked into the dining room and knelt down across from Ryosuke. He had replaced the take-out containers with dishes from his collection and filled the glasses with something she couldn't identify yet.

"Itadakimasu," they said in unison, which for some reason made Esme blush.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Esme, leave the dishes alone," Ryosuke scolded her.

"I just want to wash them."

"I'll do that. You're here as a guest."

"But I'm a nice guest. So I'm helping you out."

He relented. "Okay. But I'm drying."

"Go ahead." She handed him a bowl. Ryosuke picked up a clean towel lying on the countertop and soon they were finished with the clean-up.

"Now we're going shopping." Ryosuke took her hand and gently pulled her in the direction of the door.

"What for?" Esme asked, forgetting that she didn't have any of her belongings with her.

"You know, a toothbrush. Anything else you might need."

"Oh, yeah. I better make a list."

"A list."

"Yes. I love lists. It feels good when you check something off."

"That's quirky."

"Don't laugh. May I have a piece of paper, please?"

He handed her the grocery pad. "Use one of these."

"Hm." She looked it over. "Bread. Eggs. Coffee. Bananas. Kumquats." She paused and blinked. "Kumquats?"

"They're these tiny oval citrus fruits."

"I know what they are, it's just a strange item to see on a grocery list."

"Stop reading my list and make your own."

She turned to a clean page and started to write down what she needed.

toothbrush, soft bristle

panties

The imp in Ryosuke asked "What size?"

"Shut up."

She continued.

Pajamas

"I have a yukata you can borrow if you want," he told her, reading over her shoulder.

She put a check mark next to pajamas. "I think that's it."

"You needed to make a list for three items?"

"You never know what I could forget when I get to the store."

He twirled his keys around on his finger. "Then let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryosuke let them back in his apartment, the shopping trip being over. "Stay right here," he told her. "I'll be right back." He sprinted to the patio doors and turned on the floodlights in the back yard. Soon he was back at her side. "Let's go upstairs. I'll show you your room."

They walked up the steps and Ryosuke stopped in front of the balcony. "Come here for a minute. There's this great view that I want you to see."

"Okay." She stepped with him through the doors. She noticed that there was something wrong with his grass. A closer look revealed … "Ryosuke, is that kanji mowed into your lawn?"

"Yes. I did that this morning." He waited for her to read it.

_What did it say? _All of a sudden it became clear. "Marry me?" She turned around to find Ryosuke kneeling on one knee.

He took her hand and started the speech that he had practiced in the mirror only hours ago. "All my life, as long as I can remember, I have always thought everything through in my mind. But after meeting you, after these two short weeks, I've realized that not everything can be analyzed and reason has nothing to do with love. This time, it's my heart that's telling me what step to take next." He kissed her hand. "Esme Jace, will you marry me?"

"Yes." It came out so breathless.

He stood up and hugged her fiercely. "I didn't have time to get you a ring. We'll go pick one out together."

"Why don't you just admit that you were afraid I would hate it?"

"Because I'm macho." He twirled her around on the balcony. "You know what happens next?"

"A wedding?"

"Not yet. I mean right now."

She lifted her shoulders in a shrug.

"A congratulatory trip down Mount Akagi. The way I'm feeling now, I can beat my course record."

Which is exactly what he proceeded to do, rushing down the mountain with an emotion stronger than any that he ever had while racing.

THE END.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I'm thinking that in the somewhat far future, I might write about Keisuke. There are a few good stories on here about Ryosuke and an arranged marriage. I think that it's Keisuke's turn!


End file.
